From January 4th to 6th, 2013, about 100 students from New ProvidenceHigh School attended the annual Model United Nations conference at Hershey Park Lodge in Pennsylvania. After weeks of preparation which included researching their assigned countries and committee’s topics, the students finally were ready to meet with delegates from other schools to debate and draft resolutions from their countries’ standpoints. All of this hard work paid off for the students as they contributed to discussions run by their peers, learned about countries all over the world, and made new friends. The New Providence delegation, led by Mr. Goldstein and Mr. Meyer, had yet another successful conference at HersheyPark.
At MUN this year, many students actively participated in conference and some even decided at the end of the weekend to run to be chairmen the following year. Jack Galardi, a junior and first year member of MUN, was elected Vice-Chair of General Assembly B. He has bright hopes for next year’s conference: “I hope I’m able to create a conference experience as enjoyable as the one that was given to me by my chairs this year! I am prepared to lead this New Providence delegation into the internationally oriented future!”
Dan Patel, also a first year member and junior, was voted in as Vice-Chair of General Assembly A. Over 150 people in their assemblies voted and chose them for these positions. Dan is excited to work hard and make sure everyone in his committee gets as much out of the MUN experience as possible.
Jamie Currie, a senior at New ProvidenceHigh School, was awarded Premier Delegate in his committee Legal B. Jamie demonstrated exemplary confidence and intelligence in public speaking and debate while representing the country of Argentina. He also exemplified courteous and mature behavior both inside and outside of the committee sessions. Senior Julia Oldakowski was selected to attend the annual Youth Conference on National Affairs held in Black Mountain, North Carolina in July. To be selected for this award, candidates must be “well-rounded, courteous individuals willing to assist their fellow delegates, while exhibiting strong debate, speaking, and research skills”.
Model United Nations continues to have a positive impact on the high school experience of students from New Providence. “Model UN has made me a more confident speaker and I’ll be disappointed when I can’t attend next year,” says senior and three-year MUN participant Kyle Kroeger. Kyle and many other seniors will take the skills and experiences they gained from MUN with them for the rest of their lives. Mr. Goldstein encourages more underclassmen to come out next year so they have the opportunity to “experience International perspectives, meet other young adults, and practice public speaking”.
Youth and Government is a similar program that is also recommended for those who enjoy the Model UN debate setting or would like to get involved in this memorable activity.