Hood College was the destination for the Model UN Club’s 11th annual Frederick County conference. The buzz conference room was the pinnacle of months of prepared action for LHS students and those around the region. 

Each winter at Hood the club participates in an all-day Model United Nations simulation. More than 250 students attended the county conference, which took place last Saturday, January 9th.

Opening remarks from local club leaders, politicians and members of the Board of Education kick started the day for all in attendance.

Afterwards, participants were divided into three separate committees that included two General Assemblies and a Security Council. The General Assembly tackled the global migration and security of African and Middle Eastern natives in Europe, while the Security Council covered the ban on the use of Artificial Intelligence in weaponry.

To maintain the flow of debate, each committee was led by a president or a presidency council. From our school, junior Garrett Wiehler assisted the presidency of Anna Horevay in one of the two General Assemblies. Also, senior Kasal Smaha assisted Secretary General Kelly Collis of the Security Council.

“I’m glad I spent so much time preparing. While it was difficult at first, it got easier as the day went on,” said Wiehler.

Delegates brought their nations’ viewpoints to bear in the debate. They deliberated for hours about opposing arguments. Delegates assisted in preparing resolutions, as well as filled the shoes of ambassadors to their nations.

Some of us tend to freeze up in front of any audience, even a couple of people. We find our mouth dries up, our voice is weak, and our bodies start to shake.

Imagine walking up to a podium and facing what feels like the whole world is watching. You deliver a speech you just wrote about a topic you know very little about.  

Although this may sound more like a nightmare than a club, it is the reality of students who engage in Model United Nations.

“Presenting in front of so many people may be a bit nerve racking and scary, but Model UN has improved my confidence in public speaking by allowing me to be able to present information and debate issues without getting nervous or scared,” said sophomore Shannon Loughrey.

Preparation for this event required each member to extensively research their country as well as their topic for sustained period of time, which is why they had an agenda set so they can stay on top of the issues.

Each member received a packet of information to navigate through the rules and expectations of the conference. Prior to the conference, many practice sessions were held to familiarize the members with how they should carry themselves.

Delegates tried convincing the room with their foreign policy stance with the hopes of reaching a resolution that maintained as many of their interests as possible.

It’s unlikely that both general assemblies and the security council pass a resolution, taking widespread cooperation from majority of the countries. Only a handful of students won recognition for their ability to debate and one of them was senior Maleeha Coleburn who had one of the best position papers.

The conference at Hood College has offered students a chance to work cooperatively with other students as well as develop necessary communication skills. Members were given a little bit of an insight into international politics and the work of the United Nations.

“You could not have represented LHS better. Thank you all for your time and effort as well as your professionalism. You are outstanding young diplomats,” said adviser Mr. Seth Roberts in response to the delegation’s performance.