The Model United Nations team won best large delegation and brought home numerous individual awards at the Northwestern University MUN conference April 10-13.
To prepare, the team split into separate groups tailored to fit their part, practicing speeches, writing position papers and running Q&A drills during meetings. In addition to in-school sessions, the team also gathered for a weekend practice at the University of Chicago’s Joseph Regenstein Library to collaborate and sharpen their performance.
Ninth grader Eddie Skolarus received the best delegate award and said that the team entered the competition with more preparation than usual, which helped them in a more competitive environment.
“I’d say it was pretty challenging, harder than the ones that are usually hosted at high school,” Eddie said. “I think what makes not only me but also the team to stand out is the amount of knowledge we actually know on our topic going into the conference. And then, also we do a lot of practice conferences and simulations, so we have more experience.”
In addition to growing experience, Eddie said the multi-day conference gave him leadership experience and on-the-spot confidence.
“I feel like I’ve gained a lot of experience giving speeches on the fly and different leadership strategies that I’ll definitely implement and use in the upcoming conferences,” Eddie said.
While the Northwestern conference marked the end of the season for sophomores and juniors, ninth graders will compete once more this season in a competition at Glenbrook South High School.
