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END OF YEAR SUMMARY
Wow- what a whirlwind of a year! Our MUN students worked incredibly hard throughout the year to find innovative solutions for a wide range of global challenges. This year, students found that it is temptingly easy to use AI to write a generic position paper but it is an incredibly difficult task to think outside of the box to identify an original, practical, real world recommendation to address the problem at hand. Yet students embraced the challenge and continued to write meaningful, persuasive essays and powerful speeches to convince their peers to form alliances and write collaborative resolutions. We could not be prouder of our students for their determination and drive to finish the year strong and not give up when they felt overwhelmed. Model UN is an elective class after all! Our students chose to take this class, where they wrote more than five position papers this year (five-paragraph essays that show their country's position on a topic) and delivered countless speeches in front of their peers.
Here is a summary of our activities this year:
Three overnight trips (PA, VA, and NY)
Three regional conferences (Frederick, Anne Arundel, Arlington)
Five in-class student-led conferences
Two in-class Crisis conferences written/ created by students
TAIWAN STRAIT CONFLICT - June 5-10, 2025
We used materials from a MUN Background Guide written by the George Washington University in 2023 in partnership with MCPS. Despite the spring fever afflicting the students, they embraced the challenge of de-escalating the tensions in the region. The relevance of this topic to the global political sphere was not lost on the students. Things got a little out of hand as the countries battled for political domination over regional affairs, but in the end, all classes were able to find common ground in order to create and pass resolutions that restored peace in the region.
World War I Crisis: 1917 - May 20, 2025
Our last big conference in class was a historical crisis based on the events of World War I, taking place on the events of January 1, 1917. The goal of the conference was to end the war as soon as possible, ideally before the war ended in reality in 1918. Our students accepted the challenge and understood the stakes of their mission if they were not successful. Fortunately, the students were able to end the war by October 1st, 2017, and in so doing were able to save countless (imaginary) lives and possibly even able to prevent WWII. Historical crises allow students to re-invent the past and envision better outcomes for all of humanity. While not bound to the actual events that took place, students can use their imaginations to create a more equitable world.
JIBMUN - May 3, 2025
Thomas Jefferson Middle School: Arlington, Virginia
The JIBMUN Conference was a big success! We have learned that there are many wonderful conferences for Middle School students in Virginia. This conference is definitely a winner! Our delegates love meeting students from around the DMV who love debating current affairs as much as they do. The delegates at this conference love to sing- there is always room for more talents at a Model UN Conference. Our delegates have Spring Fever but they kept their engagement long enough to write one more position paper and give it all they have for one more weekend conference. From the Tik Tok Ban to Non-state actors in the Middle East, we are tackling topics that students truly care about.
Silver Spring International Middle School Model UN Makes the News!
April 30, 2025
We were fortunate to be featured in an article by the MCPS Communications team. Almost everyone in the class wanted to be interviewed and they did a phenomenal job representing our school and our special program. You can read the article here!
Anne Arundel County (AACPS) Model UN Conference - April 5, 2025
Severna Park High School: Severna Park, Maryland
This year was the first year that we participated in the AACPS MUN Conference. SSIMS had 12 students attend the conference. In total, there were 170 students representing 13 different schools in attendance (this is for the Middle & High School committees). The committees were smaller in size, which is where SSIMS delegates can really shine! We hope to return next year. The topic this year was the Global Food Crisis- a topic that is relevant to all countries. We learned so much we decided to do the conference for the entire class. We loved it! Here is the link to an article about the conference that features some of our students.
This photo is missing one super human from the team but we had an amazing delegation representing SSIMS.
SSIMS won a total of 7 awards at the Conference. These are some of the students who won awards today!
Guest Speaker, Ms. Jenny Coneff
April 4, 2025
Our current unit of study has focused on food security and the global food crisis. We were fortunate to welcome a guest speaker (via Zoom) into our classes to discuss the work of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fewsnet) and the ways that communities work together to solve the problem of inequitable access to food. We also learned about the process of distribution of food aid in emergencies and how to use data from the food insecurity tables. Jenny shared her inspiring work with us and students had so many insightful questions! Thank you, Ms. Jenny!!
MUN Conference Awards Celebration March 27, 2025
After a long delay, we finally celebrated our in-class MUN Conference awards winners with a much-deserved pizza party! Over 30 students won awards over our past two MUN Conferences and we were honored to celebrate each other's success while enjoying a slice of pizza. For those who didn't win this time, you will get your chance at our next conference!
Yippeee! SSIMS has Two New Model UN Bulletin Boards - March 2025
What is Model UN?
What is Model UN?
Students answered this question with quotes and ideas. Thank you to Dr. C for putting this gorgeous board together
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Students created unique symbols to represent the 30 articles of the UDHR.
National High School Model United Nations MUN Conference (NHSMUN)
March 7-10, 2025 - New York, NY
This year we had 28 amazing delegates attend the NHSMUN Conference in New York. The conference included 3,000 students representing 73 countries from around the world.
On the first day, we had a mission briefing with the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the UN. Our delegates asked such thoughtful questions and engaged in meaningful conversations about diplomacy, the UN, Greenland, and Denmark's positions on all of these diverse issues the students researched. And afterwards, we were able to visit the UN headquarters in New York. Then the students started working in their committees for the first session of the conference.
Over the next three days, students had four more committee sessions and during break times we were able to visit Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and see Little Shop of Horrors on Broadway. The students were thrilled that the stars of the show were Elizabeth Gillies from Nickelodeon's Victorious and Milo Manheim from Disney's Zombies.
During the closing ceremony, one of our SSIMS delegates presented to 1,500 people as her committee's Rapporteur and provided a summary of their group's achievements. SSIMS students can do anything! It is such a joy to watch our delegates shine.
Throughout the 4 days, we were treated with a lot of NYC sunshine and hospitality. There were many mini-lessens to be learned from budgeting to eating balanced meals, to time-management, and getting along with 27 other students from school. I want to send a special shout-out to Ms. Doctor, who was an immensely supportive member of the team for every second of the trip and we could not have done it without her.
NHSMUN Preparation In-Class Conference - March 2025
NHSMUN Preparation In-Class Conference - March 2025
From March 3-6, MUN students participated in our in-class version of the NHSMUN Conference. It was an ambitious endeavor, with over 15 topics and 30 committees. Our students served as Committee Chairs and navigated the challenge with confidence and grace.
SSIMS students attended the William and Mary Middle School Model UN Conference from February 28- March 2, 2025. It was our first time attending the conference and we had 23 students participate in the three-day trip. The students reported that they loved spending time on a college campus and exchanging ideas with new friends from around the region. It was a wonderful experience and we were greeted with excellent weather and warm hospitality. On the first day of the conference, we explored Colonial Williamsburg and learned about life in the United States in the early 1700s. Students met with artisans and craftspeople to see how goods were made and sold. The conference itself was amazing and the campus was beautiful. I want to extend a special thank you to Ms. Hack, who was an amazing chaperone throughout all of our activities and adventures! Here are some student quotes about their experience:
"The William and Mary Conference is really fun. The people there are really nice and the conference itself was amazing."
"The conference was so much fun!! it had interesting topics and was a great bonding experience. and the mealtimes were a tapestry of delicious restaurants."
"The best part of the conference were the crisis committees because we can actually see the effects of our resolutions on the crisis, and it keeps things interesting."
Frederick County Model UN Conference - January 18, 2025
Frederick High School: Frederick, Maryland
We had 28 students attend the FCPS Model UN Conference this year at Frederick High School. It was a day filled with learning, sharing, and meeting other young people from around the DMV region with a passion for making the world a better place. This year the topics included the crisis in Haiti, preserving languages, forced labor, endangered species, and the militarization of space. The students did amazingly well in the conference and it was a wonderful day.
Genreral Assembly
Crisis
UNEP
YMCA Model UN Conference - January 10-12, 2025
Hershey, PA
This year we had 28 students attend the YMCA conference at the Hotel Hershey. The conference is amazingly well organized and our students had an incredible time. Students participated in three different types of conferences including the General Assembly (Day 1), the International Criminal Court (Day 2), and a Crisis (Day 3). Through the three days, students debated, asked questions, wrote and presented resolutions and voted on the best solutions to global challenges. Students wrote articles for the Newsletter and presented their BLOC's resolutions, We had an excellent group of students this year and an brilliant chaperone, Mr. Davis. Thank you!!!!! We can't wait for next year!
"My favorite part was the way we all got to bond with other schools, and how we can come together to work on such important topics! Also the unlimited chocolate was a perfect touch! "
-7th Grade Student
"The YMCA Conference is a great way to meet like-minded students while also meeting students with different opinions and stories. It was so interesting to hear other countries' perspectives and was just an all-around great experience."
-8th Grade Student
"I loved how delegates from various delegations could come together to make the world a better place."
-8th Grade Student
Election Day Bake Sale - November 8, 2024
Takoma Park Middle School
Model UN students strike again with another successful bake sale, while promoting the democratic principals of civic action and engagement. It was a great day for volunteering and community service, while sharing our love of home-made baked goods (all for the important cause of raising funds for our field trips).
SSIMS Health Fair - October 25, 2024
Model UN students volunteered at the SSIMS Health Fair to raise awareness about mental health. MUN students ran the "Affirmation Station" offering temporary tattoos with positive messages. Students had the opportunity to take action on what we learned in our Mental Health Model UN conference by talking and sharing information about the importance of mental health and having fun at the same time. It was a big hit!
In-Class Model UN Conference - Removing Barriers to Mental Health
For our first Model UN Conference of the 2024-2025 school year, students wanted to address the global Mental Health crisis. This topic was very relevant to the lives of our students because every student has a personal connection to this topic. It was a tough topic to address because it was so personal for students and also because the global picture is very alarming. Students addressed this topic from their assigned country's point of view. Some countries have made a lot of progress with wrap-around services and resources while other countries have yet to address the immense needs their citizens are facing. Students identified creative solutions and worked together to pass resolutions.
INTERNATONAL DAY OF PEACE
September 21, 2024
In celebration of the International Day of Peace, students researched one peacebuilder, created a poster, and wrote a 45-second speech on why their peacebuilder is the most important. The students' hard work and talents resulted in amazing portrayals of important change-makers in human history. Now we will display the posters around the school to share what we learned with the wider community. At a time when world peace seems like an impossible goal, it is essential to remember that each person can make an important contribution to our planet.
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