On February 5th, 14 students in Grades 10 and 11 traveled to the American mid-west to attend the annual Model United Nations of the University of Chicago conference, an event that celebrates the collaboration and intellect of youth. The tour was lead by Social Studies teachers Mrs. Sarah McLean and Ms. Sarah Worth. The first night was spent gorging on gargantuan deep-dish pizza, a Chicago specialty, and wandering the city’s massive commercial avenues and lakeside attractions. One grade 11 student, Kieran Halliday, remarked that “the city was huge, there was something interesting everywhere you looked!” Day two was strictly touristic. The delegates were allotted the freedom of experiencing the city via an extensive subway system. The Art Institute, as well as the iconic, metallic “bean” structure were memorable spots on the tour.
Days three through five required the delegates’ devout attention to the conference. Dispersed across assemblies ranging from the Worth Health Organization to the Disarmament and International Security Committee, our students delegated as representatives of the Kingdom of Malaysia. A few more seasoned delegates, though, played more specific roles in specialized committees. Grade 11 student, Tony Chen, for example, played the part of Alabama’s state representative in the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. He addressed the question of permitting public access to information regarding illegal whisky operations recently made available in the History Channel’s new hit show, “Moonshiners.” Whether it was in debating the threat of emerging disease, or speaking to guerilla conflicts amongst South American drug cartels, all of our students were active participants in discussion and driving forces in the development of logical resolutions.
