Marvelwood Attends Yale Model UN XXXVI

For the second year in a row Marvelwood students attended the Model United Nations at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.  The conference was a four-day event that featured over eleven hundred high school students from seventy-five schools from around the United States.  There were also delegates from countries such as China, England, Brazil and Columbia.  The participants spent three nights in hotels in downtown New Haven and attended six conference sessions in Yale University classrooms.  During the opening ceremonies in Battell Chapel there was a keynote speech from James O.C. Jonah, retired United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and permanent representative of Sierra Leone.  On the last night of the conference there was a dance in the Omni Hotel where we stayed, and students socialized in a more informal setting.

Six Marvelwood students participated in YMUN XXXVI.  Attending the conference were the five students of my Advanced Placement European History class, Tom Lee, Rob Marcin, Elva Xiao, Ron Lewis and Karen Obadia, as well as Elizabeth Hackney from the Advanced Placement U.S. History class.  As a group we represented the country of Iceland.  Months before the conference, our students were required to conduct research about this particular country, write position papers about various international topics and upload these papers onto the YMUN website.  During the various sessions, our students were required to represent Iceland regarding such topics as the controversial use of anti-personnel land mines, the effects of the economic downturn regarding women’s lives, the increase in drug trafficking from Afghanistan and the possibility that Turkey will join the European Union.  Public speaking and coalition building are important aspects of the conference, and our delegates did a fantastic job in these areas.

In addition, our students were invited to take advantage of the opportunities to explore Yale University and New Haven.  On Friday morning delegates could take tours of the university, visit actual classes or have lunch with renowned university professors.  The Peabody Science Museum, the Center for British Art, and the University Museum of Art were all within a short walking distance of the hotel.  There is great dining in the city featuring American, Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian, Mexican, Indian and Cuban restaurants.  The Yale Women’s Basketball team battled the Brown Bears, and the Yale Women’s Ice Hockey took on #3 Clarkson at Ingalls Rink, also known as the "Yale Whale” due to its unique shape.

This was a wonderful trip and a valuable experience for our students.  They learned a great deal about how the United Nations functions and the workings of parliamentary procedure.  In addition, our students met many other people from around the country and the world.  I am very proud of our delegation, and I look forward to YMUN XXXVII in 2011.

Glenn Sanchez

History Department Chair