RMS student awarded Best Delegate at Appleby MUN (Model United Nations) conference
On Saturday April 6th, Rowntree Montessori students in grades 7 and 8 participated in the 8th annual Model United Nations conference at Appleby College in Oakville. So, what is the Model United Nations? Similarly to how the real United Nations operates, students from Rowntree research a current “hot topic” then debate with students from all over the GTA to come up with a resolution to the problem. The challenge is that students must represent the ideas and viewpoints of a different country assigned to them. This means they have to form arguments and defend a point of view that they themselves may not agree with. Some say this is the fun part!
In this past conference, RMS students represented countries from around the world, including Germany, Columbia, Mexico, Russia and South Korea, and discussed current issues involving the use of fossil fuels in Mexico, the NATO mission in Libya, and the land border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand. Rowntree students gave an outstanding performance! They stood up against high school students, and defended their countries’ ideas.
One RMS student in particular demonstrated the ability to represent a country, stand firm on that countries beliefs, and convince others in his committee that what he believes is right. Darius had the daunting task of persuading the students in his committee that Mexico should be allowed to use fossil fuels. This was not an easy task! Darius not only had to explain why it is okay for Mexico to continue using environmentally dangerous methods of industrialization, but also had to convince other countries to help pay for it! Darius did an outstanding job in his committee, and successfully developed and passed two resolutions that benefitted his country. For his hard work, Darius was awarded the gavel, the award given to the best delegate in each committee.
We are so proud of Darius for his diligent research, analysis and preparation leading up to the conference, and his excellent debating skills during the conference. Great work Darius! Rowntree’s Model United Nations team has a lot to be proud of!
The Model United Nations club started 6 years ago at Rowntree Montessori’s academy campus, and every year we have competed in various conferences with other schools. We are looking forward to continued success at our future conferences!
