The St. Andrew’s Model United Nations (MUN) team came home with four awards from last week’s conference at Harvard University.
The Harvard Model UN conference is widely regarded as the most competitive and academically challenging in North America. After last year’s strong performance, St. Andrew’s was awarded the country of Italy.
Arriving in Boston on January 28, the SAC delegation was not overly focused on winning awards, aware they would be competing against much larger schools, many offering Model UN elective courses.
However, as committee sessions began their confidence grew, and by Friday they felt they were one of the better delegations.
This was confirmed at the awards ceremony, when vocal commendations were won by delegates Michael Kurp ’18 and Michael House ’16 in the European Union, and Head Delegate Jadyn Dragasevich ’16 from the Economic and Finance Committee. Delegate Dylan van Eeden ’16 won an outstanding delegate award for his role in the Special Summit for Biotechnology.
In addition to an excellent showing, the 16-member team got to catch-up with former SAC student and current Harvard basketball player Chris Egi ’14. He posed for photos and accompanied the students on a tour of the university.
This conference was significant for the future success of SAC’s Model UN club, as it allows students to get a country with even more influence next year and further increase the likelihood of a strong performance.
The Model UN team will attend Appleby College and Upper Canada College conferences later this year.
Students interested in joining SAC’s Model UN team, or those who are curious about learning more, can meet in room M12 every Thursday at break. Those who are interested and come to the next meeting will be eligible to attend the Appleby conference.
The extra-curricular activity involves debating, critical thinking, research, teamwork, and leadership abilities. At conferences, students will roleplay UN delegates and simulate UN committees.
A special thank-you goes to faculty Model UN Head, Jeff LaForge and Mr. Joe Commisso for organizing the trip, and to Mr. Commisso and Mr. Taylor Johnston for overseeing the team all weekend.
Story by Jadyn Dragasevich ’16
