Writing skills, social interaction, and world politics combine in one club: HHS Model United Nations (Model UN).

On Nov. 17th, Model UN attended its first of three conferences during the school year, which took place at Macalester College.

A Model UN conference is a complex event with many procedures.

“Everyone comes together in a big group and then splits off into separate committees. Then we go into different procedures,” said Sophie Boerboom, senior. “[During the] speakers list, people can stand up and state their countries viewpoints. Then we go into different moderated or unmoderated caucuses.”

A moderated caucus is a time in which an appointed speaker has a set time limit to speak to the committee. An unmoderated caucus is when each delegation has time to work with others to create a resolution, or a set of recommendations on how to solve the problem at hand.

Preparations for conferences require students to research their country’s relationship with a global issue, what the country has done to solve the issue, and what the Model UN participant wants to achieve at the conference. This research is organized into a single-page essay called a position paper.

Two HHS teams won best position paper at the Macalester conference.

At Macalester College, the two main world issues highlighted were sustainable urban development and water: border conflicts and access.

The Model UN club at HHS was formed two years ago. Currently led by captains Sophie Boerboom, Isaac Kadoun, and Andrew Zhou, seniors, the club meets every Monday after school at 3 p.m.

“We are a group of people who are super inclusive, and any time is a good time to join. Everyone has a good time, and we learn a lot,” Boerboom said. “[Model UN] is a big group, pretty much like a family. We all support each other.”

Model UN builds social connections, teaches researching techniques, and develops critical thinking skills while continuously spreading global awareness.

Students interested in joining Model UN contact the Model UN captains or show up to any meeting in room W113.