.jpg)
Mount Madonna School’s current Model United Nations (MUN) contingent is at its largest ever – fifteen delegates, including seven new participants! Club members recently participated in a training session and mock MUN hosted by the University of California, Berkeley. Student participants in the MUN Club this year are: Saniya Lakka and Sophia Saavedra, 9th; Alyssa Feskanin, Chris Colip, Lena Wiley, Lexi Julien, Renata Massion, Tobin Mitchell, and Zoe Kelly, 10th; Brianna Heldt, Preethi Balagani, Ruby Nink and Talia Speaker, 11th; and Amber Zeise and Kavi Duvvoori, 12th.
“The Berkeley MUN training session was informational, exciting, and interesting, as always, not to mention the beautiful campus,” comments tenth grader and returning participant Renata Massion. “I was representing Ecuador in the Crisis Committee along with Lena, Zoe, Preethi, and Tobin. and about ten students from other schools. We attempted to solve the violence in Syria caused by the revolution. Although there were many obstacles thrown at us, we managed to finish and pass our resolution in the short three-hour period we were given.”
“I had a great experience at the Berkeley MUN workshop,” says ninth grader Sophia Saavedra. “This was my first time attending a MUN event. This experience was helpful in preparing me for our [upcoming] meet at Stanford. I am looking forward to learning more about current global issues and hope to gain more confidence in public speaking and debating.”
The students’ first assembly of the school year is at Stanford University on November 9-11. MUN coordinators are anticipating a record 900 participants from across the nation at the event.
“I am looking forward to the upcoming Stanford MUN because I had such a good experience last year,” notes Massion. “I will be representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Human Rights Council, which I predict will be a controversial, engaging, and fun role. I am drawn to participate in MUN for the chance to spend time with my friends, make new friends in an ‘out-of-school’ setting, and to learn about world leaders and issues that most people my age are not exposed to.”
Duvvoori’s mother Sumana, who has mentored the club for the past five years, said of the participating students, “They are trailblazing for Mount Madonna and hopefully will encourage others to go into that place of stretching themselves to think about global issues and find solutions, interact with other schools, and meet kids who are engaged and articulate.”
####
Photo by Alice Saavedra
Nestled among the redwoods on 355 mountaintop acres, Mount Madonna is a safe and nurturing college-preparatory school that supports students in becoming caring, self-aware and articulate critical thinkers, who are prepared to meet challenges with perseverance, creativity and integrity. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville.