Middle School Model UN Team Wins at Conference

One team member awarded Outstanding Delegate; four members receive Honorable Mention 
The middle school Model United Nations (MUN) team competed in the Best Delegate Virtual Model United Nations Conference (VMUNC) on Saturday. Twenty-three eighth graders, representing the countries of Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, South Korea, Somalia, South Africa, and Mexico, joined students from around the world to debate about and resolve global issues.
 
Topics discussed included the use of military drones, violence due to religious intolerance, mental health and well-being, and homelessness. The following students received awards at VMUNC:
 
Outstanding Delegate:
Helen N. (SHP ‘25)
Honorable Mention:
Zoe K. (SHP ‘25), Alexis V. (SHP ‘25), Kelly H. (SHP ‘25), and Kate R. (SHP ‘25)
 
The middle school students began preparing for the conference in October, working weekly with faculty advisors Nicole Rehberg and Robin Laws, middle school social studies teacher and English teacher, respectively, to practice procedures, research committee topics, and draft resolutions. Through this experience, students developed real-world skills including diplomacy, public speaking, and self-advocacy. 
 
“Students adapted to the online conference format beautifully, and we are so proud of them,” said Laws. “Gov Team gives our eighth graders a chance to think about issues as a global community and work together to make a more just world.”
 
The VMUNC is an opportunity for students to mirror the work done by the United Nations, she added. Students are assigned a country and UN committee, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), or United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and after researching a given topic prior to the conference, delegates compete to resolve global issues through speaker's list speeches, moderated and unmoderated caucuses, alliances, and draft resolutions. 
Back

Sacred Heart Schools Atherton

Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton

150 Valparaiso Ave
Atherton, CA 94027
650 322 1866
Founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, SHS is a Catholic, independent, co-ed day school for students in preschool through grade 12