School Day Snapshot: Middle School Model UN Class

By Division I Media & Journalism reporter Grace

The middle school Model UN students entered the classroom at random intervals, sitting down and opening their backpacks and lunches. Some turned and talked with each other casually, as others from the previous class packed up their belongings and left. 12th graders Madi, Max, and Isaac gathered themselves at the front of the room and the conversations around them gradually grew quieter, giving them space to start the discussion.

This congregation of students has been meeting every week since Friday September 9th in order to discuss matters of diplomacy and international dilemmas. Current subjects of study include moderated caucuses, unmoderated caucuses, the new UN Secretary General, different countries’ positions on urgent issues, and more. The homework varies per week; in the beginning, students play geography games and reading vision statements. Closer to the conference dates, gradually, it builds.

Every Friday class opens with a review of the previous homework, then transitions into a new subject or an update. They prepare themselves each meeting for conferences, a more local one in December, and one held in New York in March. These conferences are an imitation of the United Nations’ conferences, giving the students a better understanding of politics and international relations. “Model UN is very enjoyable,” said Emi from Division 2, “because it gets perspective [on] the world and how problems are handled at a global level.”