CRLS Wins Big at NHSMUN!
June 24, 2023
Almost 30 students of CRLS’ Model United Nations (MUN) team traveled four hours by bus down to New York City to participate in the National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) conference. The CRLS team mainly represented Nigeria and Vietnam, as well as various other countries, in a variety of committees debating global issues—such as climate change and migrant displacement—that are affecting or have affected people across the world. Delegates tackled these issues in a mix of formalized debate called moderated caucuses, and more informal debate sessions such as unmoderated caucuses. CRLS delegates such as Sophia Robertson ’24, Nicholas and Luna Valyannopoulos-Akrivou ’23, Elaine Wen ’24, Rory Hill ’25, and Piper Ullmann ’24 came back with a variety of awards Most impressively, however, was the Award of Excellence earned as a school, one of few public schools to win such an award. The awards, though, only measure some of the incredible hard work put in by all of the delegates who attended the conference.
which allowed delegates to meet the ambassadors of the countries that were represented at the conference. “I really enjoyed getting my specific questions answered,” Ullmann told the Register Forum. The mission briefings were a great way for delegates to learn more about the situation in the countries that they were representing.
Overall, delegates felt that NHSMUN provided a supportive and challenging environment that allowed them to improve both as people, by challenging them to think outside the box, and in committee. “I found that the higher caliber of debating and competition challenged and pushed me to become a better delegate,” stated club leader Luna Valyannopoulos-Akrivou to the Register Forum, “As my last year at NHSMUN as a delegate, it is ultimately the experiences and connections with people across the world that I take away.”
“It’s quite competitive, [and] once it clicks, it’s exhilarating and you let your imagination guide the game,” noted Simon Ready-Miller ’25 to the Register Forum, a sentiment shared by many in the club. The rigorous yet collaborative MUN meetings and conferences bond delegates throughout the grades. “The MUN team is super welcoming … to people of all abilities,” Ullmann told the Register Forum. “While they do push you out of your comfort zone, everyone is willing to help you get to the level you want to be.” Club members are already looking forward to the next year of CRLS MUN to come. “I really want to go to Model United Nations of the University of Chicago (MUNUC) and definitely NHSMUN again,” Ullmann added.
To close out the year, the MUN club will hold their first-ever Rindge MUN, open to all students who hope to try out Model UN in a low-stakes, fun environment for two hours after school from May 15-19th. It will offer all students the opportunity to learn about MUN and get excited for its next year! If you are interested in this, please email Elaine Wen at [email protected] for more information.
