Last month, King Philip High School’s Model UN delegates attended their first in-person conference since the beginning of the pandemic.

Delegates from the KP Model UN Team attended Boston College High School’s 30th annual Model United Nations Conference on Saturday, March 5. At the conference, 11 KP delegates joined students from 38 other schools to participate in a United Nations committee conference simulation. The goal of the conference is for delegates to experience and gain insight from the operations of the United Nations through collaboration to solve global issues.

Prior to attending the conference, delegates were responsible for researching a country’s or individual’s perspective on their assigned committee. At the conference, delegates then advocated for their position’s interest in the debate, which tested their public speaking, negotiating and critical thinking skills.

KP delegates engaged in simulations of a wide variety of topics, ranging from illegal poaching to the impact of climate change on the City of Boston.

“Our entire delegation’s preparation, participation and conduct were a testament to the exceptional instruction and support they have received from across our school community,” said Tim O’Connor, the Model UN Team advisor. “Each delegate performed exceptionally well at the conference and I ask that community members join me in congratulating them for their hard work and achievements.”

The following KP delegates participated in debates at the conference:

Andrew LaBerge (senior) - position of Martin Green for Birmingham School Board: Critical Race Theory; Lakshya Jain (sophomore) - position of the country of Cameroon for Illegal Poaching; Miles Gallagher (junior) - position of the country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for Illegal Poaching; Jared Ali (junior) - position of the country of Chad for African Union: Sudanese War; Charlotte Griffin (junior) - position of the country of Nigeria for African Union: Sudanese War; Lauren Grachuk (senior) - position of U.S. Rep. Steven Lynch (D, MA-08) for Boston City Council: Flooding; Jonathan Fornash (senior) - position of Peng Zhen for CPPCC: Chinese Economic Reform; Gina Brown (senior) - position of Qi Benyu for CPPCC: Chinese Economic Reform; Abby Jones (senior) - position of the country of the United Kingdom for Prisoners of War: Human Experimentation; Rabih Elmassih (senior) - position of editor of the Boston Globe Brian McGrory for Boston City Council: Flooding; and Frank Merritt (senior)- position of Lin Liguo for CPPCC: Chinese Economic Reform.

At the conference, senior Gina Brown won a Best Position Paper award and senior Frank Merritt and sophomore Lakshya Jain won the People’s Choice awards in their respective committees.

The KP Model UN Team was founded in 2015 by students who were interested in bringing the program to the school. Typically, the team has 20-30 students who attend weekly meetings that are student-led and discussion-based regarding issues such as the War in Ukraine, global economic inequality, climate change and more. Weekly meetings are open to all King Philip Regional High School students and all students are welcomed regardless of prior knowledge or experience.

The KP Model UN Team typically attends three conferences per year and will go on to attend Sandwich High School’s 22nd Annual Conference in the beginning of May.