SOMS Model UN Club Shines at Annual Conference in NYC

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This article first appeared on the SOMS HSA page.

SOMS Model UN Club at Annual Conference in NYC (credit SOMS HSA)

SOMS Model UN Club at Annual Conference in NYC (credit SOMS HSA)

Ever think it might be possible to change the world? How about spend a weekend tackling some of the world’s most challenging problems? This past weekend, 19 SOMS students got to do exactly that. These students, along with SOMS teachers Katerina Karis and Barbara Tsioni, joined 1600 other students and teachers from around the world in New York City as part of the United Nations Association’s Middle School Conference. This weekend was a culmination of work that the students had been doing since October 2014 when the Model U.N. Club began meeting.

The Conference opened on Thursday, March 26th, with a special ceremony in the General Assembly of the United Nations. The students then got right to work early Friday morning – presenting proposed resolutions, negotiating with representatives of other countries, and ensuring that their principal missions were met. Their work continued on Saturday, ending late in the day with a closing ceremony and presentation of awards.

This year, the SOMS Delegation represented the Republic of Korea. Since October, the students, under the leadership of Ms. Karis and Ms. Tsioni, have been researching and learning everything they could possibly know about the politics, culture, people, and environment of South Korea. In addition, students were required to research issues related to their committee topic. For example, UNICEF researched access to vaccines while the Security Council researched the situation in Syria. Then, students needed to assess the situation from the perspective of the Republic of Korea.

Congratulations to all of the students for a phenomenal job. All were extremely engaged, well-prepared, and exemplary ambassadors. They represented both SOMS and the Republic of Korea in the best possible light. Special congratulations go to Zoe B. (8th grade) and Hazel A-W. (7th grade) for their work in the UNESCO Committee and Zander R. (6th grade) and Elly R (8th grade) for their efforts as part of the WHO-International Telecommunications Union. These four students received “Honorable Mention” awards.

A very special thanks also must be extended to Ms. Karis and Ms. Tsioni for their extraordinary and enthusiastic support of all of the students. They went above and beyond to make sure all of the students were well-prepared and had a terrific time. This wonderful experience of learning would not have been possible without them.

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