MPH MUN Team Preps for First Conference

MPH Upper Schoolers have the good fortune of being able to select Model UN (MUN) as a semester-long course (though this group of students considers itself a team, not a class!) within the daily academic schedule, as opposed to trying to “squeeze it in” among their other after-school commitments.

During first block on September 18, Ms. Chhablani welcomed us into her classroom to witness the MUN team preparing for a simulation—in this case one that will address the problems of disease management in Sub-Saharan Africa.

For those unfamiliar, Model UN, as the name suggests, simulates actual United Nations assemblies, in that students represent different countries (as “delegates”) and participate in “committee sessions” to discuss and debate key issues the world faces; they also work together to propose solutions. MPH’s Model UN team has proven to be quite formidable on the international stage in recent years!

The goal of the team’s aforementioned simulation will be to prepare for the Model UN conference that the School will host on October 26, when about 250 students from 10 other schools will be on campus. Internationally known sustainable development expert David O’Connor will be the conference’s guest speaker.

During the Wednesday class, it was Ari Nemes’s turn to “rep” (talk about/present) the summer reading book she had chosen from among a wide array of options for the team. At the lectern, she discussed The Unfinished Revolution, a collection of perspectives (ed. by Minky Worden) regarding the ongoing battle for women’s rights worldwide. Upon the conclusion of her talk, the (student) “delegates” representing their various countries on the “committee” were provided an opportunity by the gavel-holding chairwoman to ask follow-up questions. (Later, the team also provided Ari peer-to-peer feedback about her delivery, preparedness, and so on.)

Incorporating this opportunity into the daily schedule reflects MPH’s prioritization of the character growth, skills development (researching, speaking, debating, collaborating, problem solving, etc.), and global awareness  that is inherent in MUN participation.

Go Team!