Local students excel at Model UN Conference
At the recent Model United Nations Conference students from around Montana tried their hand at working through global issues to maintain international peace and security.
More than 270 high school student delegates representing United Nation member states debated, negotiated, caucused and drafted papers that culminated in voting on resolutions to address world problems at a the mock conference held Nov. 25-26 at the University of Montana.
Columbia Falls, Flathead and Glacier high schools were among 15 high schools from around Montana in attendance.
Schools were judged on their overall preparedness, participation and excellence of their delegates.
Distinguished honors went to Flathead High School and Columbia Falls High School for their overall performances among large and small delegation teams, respectively, putting them at the top 20% of countries represented at the conference. Glacier High School received honorable accolades among small delegation teams, putting it at the top 30%.
Making the cut of the top five senior participants were Flathead High School’s Scott O’Donnell and Victoria White, who were offered $1,000 scholarships to attend the University of Montana.
Eva Bruce of Flathead received outstanding designations for her position paper and participation in the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) committee, placing her in the top 1 to 2%.
Student delegates served on one of five committees at the conference: General Assembly Plenary, General Assembly First Committee (disarmament and security), General Assembly Second Committee (economic and financial), General Assembly Third Committee (social, cultural, and humanitarian), and Security Council.
To be successful, students delegates need to know about their country — the geography and culture, political system, leadership, political issues, economic and social conditions and foreign affairs.
It is also important for students to know their country’s allies, which may lead to co-sponsored resolutions and voting blocs, according to Montana Model United Nations.
Following is a list of top schools and individual students.
School Awards
— Distinguished large delegation (top 10%): Flathead High School
— Distinguished small delegation (top 10%): Columbia Falls High School
— Honorable small delegation (top 20%): Glacier High School
Country Awards
— Outstanding country delegations (top 5% of countries represented): Columbia Falls, Poland; and Flathead, United Kingdom.
— Distinguished country delegations (top 10% of countries represented): Columbia Falls, Guatemala; and Flathead, Switzerland.
— Honorable country delegations (top 20% of countries represented) Glacier, Austria; Columbia Falls, Argentina; Glacier, Israel; Malaysia; Columbia Falls.
Delegate Awards
General Assembly First Committee
Topics: Nuclear disarmament and international security; international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
— Outstanding delegates (top 1-2%): Scott O’Donnell, Flathead.
— Distinguished delegates (top 10%): Scout McMahon, Flathead; and Braden Anderson, Flathead.
— Honorable delegates (top 20%): Aiden Judge, Columbia Falls; Tyler Cockerill, Glacier; Noah Golan, Columbia Falls.
General Assembly Second Committee
Topics: Facilitating knowledge transfer for sustainable development; ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.
— Distinguished delegates (top 10%): Tre Finley, Columbia Falls; Leah Spangler, Flathead; Victoria White, Flathead.
— Honorable Delegates (top 20%): Jack Gannon, Flathead; Julia Martin, Columbia Falls; Daniel Kernan, Glacier; Micah Heil, Glacier.
General Assembly Third Committee
Topics: Inclusive development for persons with disabilities; combating human trafficking.
— Distinguished Delegates (top 10%): Isabelle Johnson, Glacier; Emily Woods, Glacier.
— Honorable Delegates (top 20%): Lydia Wood, Flathead; Anna Christensen, Flathead; Calie Jo Johnson, Columbia Falls.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Topics: Eliminating violence against children and youth; protection and inclusion of children with disabilities.
— Outstanding delegates (top 1-2%): Eva Bruce, Flathead.
— Distinguished delegates (top 10%): Emma Cooley, Columbia Falls; Eddie Chisholm, Columbia Falls.
— Honorable delegates (top 20%): Natasha Gesker, Flathead; Grace Dalton, Glacier; Paeden Matson, Columbia Falls.
Security Council Delegate Awards
Topics: Youth, peace, and security; threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
— Honorable Delegate (top 20%): Samuel Lovering, Columbia Falls.
Position Paper Awards
— Outstanding position papers (top 1-2%): Eva Bruce, Flathead.
— Honorable position papers (top 20%): Julia Martin, Columbia Falls; Calie Jo Johnson, Columbia Falls.
— Distinguished position papers (top 10 %): Natasha Gesker, Flathead; Grace Dalton, Glacier; Scott O’Donnell, Flathead; Anna Christensen, Flathead.
Top five seniors: Scott O’Donnell and Victoria White, Flathead.
Top 20 seniors: Noah Golan, Columbia Falls; Scovel Aria, Flathead; Natasha Gesker, Flathead; Samuel Lovering, Columbia Falls; Reed Sandstrom, Columbia Falls; Samantha Wallace, Flathead.
Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.