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MUN COMPETES AND WINS AT TUSTIN!

11/22/2010

Julianne O'Connor

Marymount’s MUN Club had a lot to celebrate at the conclusion of the Tustin Model United Nations Conference last weekend. Senior, Maddy G., competing in the elite level, Crisis Cabinet, brought home Best Delegate (The Gavel) award and Anaisy T., also a senior, was awarded a Commendation award for her efforts. Maddy was asked to take on the persona of Wen Jiabao, the Premier of China. In addition, seven of Marymount’s eight Novice level delegates brought home top honors. Victory in this large competition is notable as Marymount competed against thirty Southern California Schools with over 1200 total delegates. The two-day conference included delegates from such schools as Harvard Westlake, Junipero Serra, Santa Margarita, Gahr, Edison, Long Beach Poly, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo and University High.

Unlike many of its competitor schools, the Marymount MUN program is organized as a club rather than as a formal part of the curriculum. As such, it relies on the passionate dedication of its members to field a successful delegation. These committed students meet during their Preps periods each week preparing for competition. The school hosting the conference chooses the topics, committees and countries, which will be enacted at the conference. Judging focuses on the delegates’ ability to demonstrate diplomacy and a thorough knowledge of the assigned country’s history and policies.

Novice level delegates partake in one-day competitions and the Committee Chairs judge their performance and ability to simulate the policies of the assigned country. Advanced level delegates typically compete for two days and often compete in pairs, covering two topics. Working together as a team and diplomacy is emphasized at this level. Delegates at both levels submit a written paper in a specific format, which describes the problem being addressed, the United Nations’ reaction to the problem, the assigned country’s reaction to the problem and how their country proposes to “fix” the problem. Older Marymount MUN members mentor the new members and help them learn-the-ropes in the arduous but fascinating journey to a complete understanding of a foreign country.

Earning Novice awards at Tustin were the following Marymount students:

Yasmeen A. ’13 – “Narcotics” Best Delegate (The Gavel)

Vicky L.’12 – “Terrorism” Outstanding

Lauren J. ’13 -- “Human Rights” Outstanding

Sara R. ’11 – “Women’s Rights” Outstanding

America G. ’13 – “International Atomic Energy Agency” Commendation

Madeline W. ’13 - “COPUOS – Peaceful Use of Outer Space” Commendation

Kristin L. ’14 – “DISC – Disarmament and Security” Research

(Awards are given at the following levels: Best Delegate, Outstanding, Commendation, and Research.)

Marymount MUN will attend seven competitions this year and will also host the fifth annual Marymount Model United Nations Conference on campus in March 2011. Also in March, the team will travel to UC Berkeley for its annual three-day conference, which is the fifth largest in the country. Kudos to MUN Moderator, Dr. Theresa Menard, who spends countless hours coaching, encouraging and celebrating these incredible girls!

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