The BHS Model United Nations (MUN) delegation competed at a conference on Mar. 6-7 at Case Western Reserve University. The conference was hosted by the Cleveland Council of World Affairs (CCWA).

Beachwood won awards for Best Large Delegation at the December conference in Lorain and took home the trophy again at the Case conference.

Beachwood also won numerous individual and partner awards at the March conference.

Sophomore Somin Jung, freshman Gregory Perryman, and senior Kfir Flank each won individual Gavels, which are awarded to the top speaker from each committee.

“I was in a historical committee about the Chinese cultural revolution representing Jinag Qing, the wife of Mao Zedong,” Flank wrote in an email.

A Superior Delegation was awarded to partners Priyanka Shrestha and Abby Adams, as well as to partners Vidula Jambunath and Gili Omer.

Adams, who represented Afghanistan with Shrestha, had a great time at the Case conference.

“I had an amazing partner who really motivated me to try my best, and we ended up getting superior delegation, which made me really proud of our performance,” she wrote in an email.

Excellent Delegation was awarded individually to sophomores Paige Wong, Yoav Pinhasi and Amy Chen.

Honorable Mention was awarded individually to sophomores Alexa Zarjetskiy and Amanda Bendis. Chen and Pinhasi also won an award for their position paper, as did Perryman and his partner Molly Egar.

Model UN participants research a country’s stance on an issue and debate against other students representing other countries.

Junior Stephanie Yen is a member of the club’s Executive Board.

“[Executive Board is] a group of five juniors and seniors, and we run practices and teach participants how to speak,” Yen said. “We give them feedback on their speaking skills and critical thinking skills.”

Shrestha has participated in MUN for three years. She explained that before each competition, students prepare by learning about their country’s policies.

“…[E]ach person is assigned a country, and we have to research that country’s stance on a certain issue…and then [at] the competitions…we debate foreign policy with [other nations] and try to come up with resolutions,” Shrestha said.

“…[It’s modeled] off the UN; there’s different committees…so you debate [your country’s] stance…[and] work with others to collaborate and write resolution papers to submit to the UN,” she added.

Shrestha explained that conferences begin with opening ceremonies, where a speaker addresses the students. Each committee then goes into separate rooms for a morning session and an afternoon session. Some out-of-state conferences last until 8 or 9:00 at night.

She added that awards given out during the conference include Honorable Delegation, Outstanding Delegation and Superior Delegation. The highest award given is the Gavel.

Flank explained that he gained many skills by joining MUN, such as public speaking.

“Before I joined I was terrified to speak in public, but now I am able to confidently speak in front of any crowd,” he wrote. “I am also a more decisive individual from experience debating with others who challenge my stance.”

Yen joined MUN during her freshman year as a way to step out of her comfort zone and have new experiences.

“…I thought that Model United Nations would be interesting because I could learn about…the United Nations…[and] I knew that I could push myself out of my comfort zone and improve my public speaking skills and also get to meet new people and have new experiences,” she said.

Adams recommends Model UN to other students but warns that it is a serious commitment.

“I definitely recommend it, but just know going into it that it’s more intense than other after school activities…you have to commit to it and be serious about it or else you won’t get any benefits…,” she wrote.

“[But] the benefits are definitely worth staying for because you learn a lot about how to research and how [to] work with other people…,” she added.

Shrestha explained that MUN helps students learn more about worldly issues.

“[Students gain] more of an awareness of the world around them…[and] when we write our resolution papers we have to talk with people from schools we’ve never even met and…so it really helps you learn how to talk with people and collaborate.”

“MUN is also a great way to meet new people and create new friendships and connections,” Flank wrote. “Additionally, by joining MUN you can learn about global politics and how to compromise on policy.”

At publication, the club is headed to Michigan State for the MSUMUN conference, which will wrap up their season.