Contributions were made to this story by Casey Murray and JT Kirages.
On Saturday, Oct. 6, Lake Forest High School’s Model United Nations club emerged triumphant from a local conference, beating out dozens of other schools to win numerous decorations and awards. Of 16 attendees from LFHS, 10 won awards, the most on both a gross and per capita basis of any participating school. The delegation as a whole was awarded Best Delegation from a Small School, signifying exemplary performance by all members of the delegation, those who did not win awards included.
The LFHS delegation included students of all ages and traveled to Orland Park, just over an hour away, for the conference. At the venue, the delegates split up and headed to their respective committees after an introductory ceremony.
LFHS students represented Cambodia, Bolivia, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), and Malawi in committees ranging from UNICEF to the Security Council. The delegation also competed in a number of fictional cabinets such as the Hunger Games Planning Committee and the Imperial Council of the Galactic Empire, set in the Hunger Games and Star Wars universes respectively.
In the end, 10 out of the 16 LFHS students that attended won awards, including a large number of freshman and sophomores who were new to interscholastic conferences.
“I was really proud that a lot of underclassmen were able to step up and get awards at their very first conference,” Secretary General Emma Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how their talents develop over the course of the conference season.”
Model United Nations meets in room 384 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 pm on Tuesday nights to tackle global issues while practicing public speaking, empathy, and negotiating. Snacks are provided at all meetings, which are open to students of all ages, sensibilities, and skill levels.
The next interscholastic conference, the Chicago International Model United Nations (CIMUN), will be held at the Hilton Chicago from Thursday, Nov. 29, to Sunday, Dec. 2.
