Many people believe WHHS to be a diverse community, both academically and culturally. But from Jan. 26 to Jan. 29., 18 WHHS students traveled to Boston, Mass.,where they experienced an even more diverse community, with participants from across the world, at the annual Harvard Model United Nations conference.

At Harvard University, every member is assigned a country. Students are then grouped into committees, where each team is presented with real-world problems. Students then simulate discussions between different nations, hypothesizing the best solution to a particular crisis.

Since the ultimate goal is to find the best possible solution to a crisis, no one ‘wins’ at a Model U.N. conference, but students are awarded for their ideas and actions in committees.

WHHS student Declan Robison, ‘18, received an Honorable Mention in his committee. This is considered a very prestigious award since there can be up to 100 delegates per committee and only three receive any recognition.

Beyond the conference, students also enjoy being in Boston and getting to experience the collection of cultures and nationalities of those who attend.

“My favorite part is that I learn about new countries. It’s also very fun working with the different people to try to solve world issues,” Brenden Pulte, ‘19, said.

“[I enjoy] meeting all the other people there,” SENIOR Emma Stevens said. “You do end up meeting a lot of really cool people and learning a lot about the world.”

The WHHS Model U.N. club also participates in two other local conferences annually. The conference at the University of Dayton, generally held in the first two weeks of November, is a way to involve students without the commute to Harvard. The Dayton conference is also a good warm-up for those who attend the Harvard conference.

There is another conference at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, held during March. This conference is a way for more students to be involved in the club and learn about international affairs.

At WHHS, the club meets on Thursdays in the rooms of social studies teachers Joe Gerth or Mitchell Perdrix, the two advisors. These meetings generally provide information for those attending the conferences and guide the members on preparation.

Preparation varies depending on student and conference, but it generally consists of researching and learning about the country one is representing. At Harvard this year, WHHS students represented Tunisia. However, three students, including Robison, were on special committees.

“There are a wide range of different [committees],” Stevens said. “And they deal with a pretty wide range of topics. But then there are also special committees which tend to be smaller…that are meant to be models of real [world organizations].”

Students also write a position paper for the Harvard and Dayton conferences. These papers include research on the assigned countries about their positions toward specific topics.

Members of Model U.N. at WHHS enjoy the club for many reasons, including how unique it is in the experiences it provides and the ideas it cultivates. Allowing students to simulate international affairs with others from all over the world forges relationships that could go a long way toward peace in the future.