The BC High Model UN Club is hard at work preparing for its 28​th annual conference on March 7 at BC High. We will host four hundred students from thirty-five schools in New England for a day of debate, compromise, and surprise. Our conference has fourteen committees, ranging from the Church Abuse Scandal to the crisis in Venezuela to extremism in Europe. We pride ourselves in the diversity of our topics and the depth of the knowledge of our chairs (those who run the committees).

For the past couple months, members of Model UN have been working hard to prepare for the event. Almost everyday after school we meet in M2 or L2 (sometimes both) to make sure that everything is ready– from morning bagels to signed awards to printed placards. Since there are so many diverse tasks required to prepare, we learn how to complete jobs that we would never even consider difficult. For example, printing out placards with each delegate’s country seems simple; however, it is a lengthy process that requires attention to detail and patience. By learning how to do the seemingly “easy” exercises now, we gain life skills that we can apply later in our careers and/or education. Feel free to stop by to help if you would like.

Normally, a speaker comes to campus on our conference date and speaks to our guest-delegates about his/her experience with politics, compromise, or overcoming adversity during the opening ceremonies. However, this year we took a different approach. We interviewed local college professors who had information on the topics of our committees and created a video clip with all of their combined knowledge to be played at the opening ceremonies.

Although this whole project seems overwhelming, putting effort into it pays off in the long run. High school delegates from across the state praise the attention to detail, level of knowledge, and overall effort that we put into our conference, a legacy we hope to continue this year.