The Saint Mary's Hall Upper School Model United Nations Club (SMH-MUN) sent a delegation of four to a MUN conference at Stanford University November 10-13. Despite being a small delegation of only four students, our delegates did an excellent job competing against 650 students from 46 other U.S. schools and Canada. Thomas C. (Form 10), Matt L. (Form 10), Zoë M. (Form 10), and Swati S. (Form 11) sponsored and passed resolutions in the following General Assemblies and Specialized Bodies: World Energy Forum, Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC), and the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly (LEGAL). Before the conference, they read and researched background topics as part of their required preparation for each committee agenda. Thomas discussed alternative forms of energy and the relationship between the private and public sectors. In DISEC, Matt focused on two topics: Illicit Small Arms Trade and Infiltration of ISIS in Refugee Programs. Additionally, Zoë tackled two problems facing the world today: Maritime claims in the South China Sea, and the legal status of refugees during and after a conflict.
Swati, who is serving as Under-Secretary-General for Policy for our fifth SMH-MUN Conference, represented SMH in the UN Women Committee, where she delivered eloquent speeches and debated articulately and passionately about two topics: the education of girls in sub-Saharan Africa and the economic empowerment of women. Last, but not least, all delegates engaged in political negotiations, convinced most of the committee members to be proactive in addressing the main goals in each committee, confidently and with diplomacy.
Under the leadership of Club Sponsor Cristo Mendoza, SMH-MUN is one of the Upper School's most popular clubs, with more than 30 student delegates. The team hosts an annual conference on the campus of Saint Mary's Hall which brings together nearly 300 delegates from more than 20 schools around the state to tackle world issues. This year's SMH-MUN conference will be held on March 25, 2017. SMH delegates will also attend upcoming conferences at Trinity University (MUNSA), Columbia University (CMUNCE), and Georgetown University (NAIMUN), in January and February 2017.
Extracurricular student organizations like SMH-MUN prepare Saint Mary's Hall students to be successful leaders who influence the global marketplace. MUN is just one of more than 20 Upper School student organizations at SMH. Based on shared interests and under the guidance of a faculty sponsor, students pursue share interests, carry out community and campus service events, and raise awareness of local and global issues.
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