Final Draft of Model UN

The basement I walk into is painted a stark white. The air smells of floor cleaner, and the rug beneath my toes is still lightly damp. The large room is practically bare of furniture, a single couch, a television, and a ping-pong table. The ping-pong table is half folded up and pushed against the wall. Scattered across the top are a dozen thick-paged books, a laptop, and a stack of notebooks. Sitting at the end of the table, she closes her laptop and looks at me. “Welcome to my bat cave,” she says in a joking tone. It is a much different Amelia than the assertive senior who stepped up on stage during a school meeting, sporting a faux leather jacket and sexy high heeled boots, to present the new Model United Nations club to students.

Model United Nations is a program that is modeled after the real United Nations, an idea originally presented by Woodrow Wilson. At first called the League of Nations, the group held simulations of real life problems going on in the world. Model UN’s main goal is to educate school aged children about other cultures and other countries. It strives to allow them to experience and solve the sorts of problems that countries are, or potentially could be, working through. It’s overall goal is to promote world peace. Model UN is not like speech or debate, it is less of a competition and more of a learning experience. There are several huge conferences for Model UN world wide, and also many smaller ones. TA's Model UN will be attending a Harvard conference this spring to show off their skills.

Model UN is in its first year at Thornton Academy, and was founded by senior, Amelia Courtney. The group of 15 or so has no officers, and is “not about a hierarchy,”  the whole point is to promote peace. Amelia sought out history teacher, Mr. Grasso, to advise and run the group. Amelia first got the idea about starting the club when watching the news one day. Amelia clearly has a thirst for knowledge that is uncommon in most high school students. With all of her AP and honors courses, it’s hard to believe that she has time to devote to the group, let alone the will to do so.

Don’t get the idea that academics and success is Amelia’s only concern. What she really wants to accomplish this year, is for the group to have a fantastic time at the Harvard conference. She wants the group to be educational beneficial, of course, but more importantly she seems to want everyone to just have a good time with it. Amelia is quite obviously excited about the club, and what it could lead to in the future, “Not only do I get to be a bad ass in a suit and be smarter than everyone, but I get to share that with my friends and peers.”

Before going to the Harvard conference, the group will receive one or two countries to research inside and out. At the conference, they will be presented with a number of problems, and expected to communicate with other countries to solve and respond to issues and disaster situations. The UN itself acts as a sort of referee for other countries, and Model UN is a simulation of that. Although titles and awards can be won for the school, it is not the purpose of the group. It creates a positive environment for debate, teaches students to work with others, and gives them the tools they need to respond to emergencies as a group.

Amelia is hoping to be assigned Egypt as the group’s country. “It has such fantastic problems to fix.” With the recent revolution, and with all the ancient civilizations to research, it’s no wonder why she is so eager to study the country.  Amelia is currently enrolled in the X-block Arabic class, a common language in Egypt, and has always been in love with learning about Egyptian culture.

Ultimately, she believes that as a whole, the group is going to learn a lot, and she couldn't be happier that she decided to get the group started. In the future, she believes Model UN will group tremendously, and be a truly positive and influential force in the school community.


I was having a hard time attaching the picture onto here, or even dragging it in.