By Revathi Sundaresan, Mathematics Instructor
Spring 2024
Students from the Model United Nations team at Stanford OHS recently had the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. to participate in the 61st North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN) conference. The team flew in from around the world to attend. Throughout the conference, students had the opportunity to hear from an array of speakers including Ambassadors, Foreign Dignitaries, and a former Solicitor General of the United States. Members also had the opportunity to hear from Gabe Fleischer, a student mentor, on his work with Wake Up to Politics a successful daily newsletter outlining actions taken by the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government.
At NAIMUN, students actively engaged in lively debates and crafted unique legislation in twelve different committees ranging from General Assemblies to the Supreme Court of the United States, and a crisis committee on the Icelandic Financial Collapse of 2008. At the conference, students were able to partake in programming including a tour of the Washington Monument, a delegate dance, and watched unique performances from student groups at Georgetown University. One unique aspect of the conference was that students were able to engage with former Stanford OHS students and current Georgetown students in various committees including Jacob Brown (’22) who was one of the Chairs on the Supreme Court of the United States.
This year, our international delegation was able to win multiple awards including Verbal Commendation Awards and the Book Award. These awards outline the hard work that students put into preparing for the conference. The Book Award is given to delegates who show the greatest amount of applied preparation for the conference in the form of subject-matter knowledge applied in the committee through speaking, writing, and collaboration. The Verbal Commendation award is given to delegates who can eloquently and precisely outline their countries’ position, policies, and commitments throughout the committee in the form of public speaking.
Those who attended NAIMUN this year engaged in rigorous preparation for the conference ranging from writing position papers to conducting research on the notable public figures and countries that students represented. Before attending the conference, students familiarized themselves with the various forms of parliamentary procedure used in their committees, and conducted debates on the topics discussed at NAIMUN to gain practice and expertise into their positions and topics at NAIMUN.
From the beginning of the school year in August 2023 to February 2024 students prepared for the NAIMUN conference under the direction of the team leaders. None of the preparation would have been possible without the support of the Model U.N. leaders: Andy D. (President), Jordan B. (Vice-President), and Adam C. (Vice-President), who acted under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Tracy Steele (Sponsor), Ms. Revathi Sundaresan (Sponsor and Chaperone), and Ms. Salam Mustafa (Chaperone). The Model United Nations team is thankful for all of the support from the school, parents, and faculty members who made this trip possible!