The Model United Nations (MUN) Team traveled to their first travel conference of the year at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) on Oct. 16-18 and placed third overall with seven team delegates receiving individual awards.
For competitive conferences, MUN members prepare for a month or more by researching the topics the 20 selected members of the team were given by Jesse Sisler, Special Education Teacher and MUN Sponsor. At the conference, delegates can win one of four awards, Best Delegate, Outstanding Delegate, Honorable Delegate, and Best Position Paper, representing first, second, third, and fourth place, Sisler explained.
“The competition level is higher at these travel conferences because instead of just local schools, you’re getting schools from around the region or even around the country, and they’re all sending their best competitors,” Sisler said. “The other element is building the team culture because you’re spending 48 to 72 hours together getting to know each other, and getting to support each other.”
Delegates prepared differently depending on their topic for their committees in either crisis (representing a person) or General Assembly (representing a large inclusive committee, for example, the World Health Organizations), senior Alexis Northrip said. Junior Ben Maclinovsky won Outstanding Delegate and felt it was very significant to him since he did not win anything his first year, he said.
“A lot of the difficulty in Model UN comes from self-doubt, not being sure whether or not you can go up and give a speech, and a general sense of nervousness,” Maclinovsky said. “The more you go into your career, the less nervous you get.”
Preparing for an event like this can be nerve-wracking because you can not predict what will happen, Northrip said. She overcomes nerves by reading through the entire background guide, ensuring she is oriented, thinking of ideas, and practicing hypothetical situations.
“The team works really hard to make sure everybody has the resources they need and can really excel,” Northrip said. “It’s so much fun to be able to put yourself outside of who you actually are.”
Seeing how the delegates handled themselves with class and integrity in such a challenging environment brings a lot of pride for Sisler, he said.
“The delegates were always present for each other and were so excited to celebrate each other’s accomplishments,” Sisler said. “It’s that sense of kinship that makes our program special.”
