During a weekend in which the media focused on international events, fifty-five USN students went to Murfreesboro to participate in the Model United Nations conference sponsored by the YMCA of Middle Tennessee's Center for Civic Engagement.
USN's long association with this conference has created a tradition of success, as USN students frequently get recognized for their accomplishments at this conference. This year's batch of delegates lived up to that tradition while the backdrop of international events reminded them of the immediacy of the issues confronting the global community.
USN students participated in almost every component of the MUN conference, from representing countries in the General Assembly, to representing countries in the Security Council, to positions in the UN Secretariat, to the Department of Public Information or "press corps" for the conference.
In the Security Council, seniors Starina D'souza and Sam Fisher represented Jordan and Luxembourg, respectively, and for her efforts Starina was nominated for the award for Outstanding Security Council delegate.
In the UN Secretariat, seniors FidanBaycora, AidanRowan, and JacobSnyder served as Commissioners of various UN agencies and during the conference debated UN policies and programs and worked with the General Assembly delegations to promote resolutions that advanced those policies. For his efforts as the UN Commissioner for the Prevention of Genocide, Rowan won the Outstanding Secretary Award!
In the Department of Public Information, senior Jordan Burnett and junior Kevin Chen worked with other students to record and report the workings of the conference and relevant international events in the conference newsletter and video broadcast. For his efforts, Jordan Burnett won the Outstanding Press Member Award for the Print division!
Most students participated in the General Assembly, working in small groups to represent countries as they present and debate resolutions that would guide international responses to various issues. This year's conference saw a lively blend of grizzled veterans and energetic newcomers representing a variety of nations that presented resolutions on an equally varied range of international problems. Seniors YoussefDoss, FredCrumbo, BradfordJohnson, and MitchellCoverstone, representing Andorra, won an Outstanding Resolution Award, as did 9th graders EllaSteinhilber, SarahStack, and AlexDano, representing Peru. (Ella, Sarah, and Alex were actually Peru #2--the conference is so popular among high schools in Tennessee that some countries' delegations are doubled.)
The USN delegations representing Syria 2 (another doubled delegation comprised of sophomores CooperStandard, HenryStandard, ElijahHong, and JacksonJoffe), Barbados (9th graders JolieDiskin, GraceRieniets, and DaleyHall), South Africa (ninth graders JakeWolfson, EvanRork, IttaiEden, and DanielJacobs), Papua New Guinea (juniors AliceMay and TrudyZou, and senior SarahYoung), and Belarus (seniors MollyPennington, JoeNoser, and WillemWheeler) were all ranked among the top four resolutions (out of more than 20) in their committees and were placed on the docket for the General Assembly's consideration.
USN students made their marks individually as well. For their participation in the debates on the resolutions in the General Assembly, 9th graders AnnieFrench and ShriyaKaram and sophomore AlyaZouaoui were nominated for Outstanding Statesman Awards.
The Outstanding Statesman Award winners from USN were seniors YoussefDoss (his third consecutive Model UN Outstanding Statesman Award) and Tom Shaw, junior AliceMay, sophomore JessicaMei, and 9th grader GraceRieniets.
And last but not least, after four years of struggle against the Evil Quiz Bowl Empire of Hume-Fogg, the USN "A Team" of Doss, Rowan, Snyder, and junior Alex Morgan won the coveted World Cup trivia trophy by crushing Hume-Fogg's trivia team in the finals. An unnamed source asserted, but was unable to verify, that Morgan beat the Hume-Fogg team through his answers alone, while his teammates' responses iced the metaphorical cake.
So another Model UN confernece is in the books! Students interested in participating in this spring's Youth In Government (YIG) conference, a simulation of Tennessee state government, should contact Mr. Luffman as soon as possible.
University of Virginia selected Margot Ross '24 to be a Jefferson Scholar. The highly selective scholarship includes the full cost of attending UVA for four years of study as well as numerous enrichment opportunities. It has been 12 years since a University School of Nashville senior last became a Jefferson Scholar.
USN Mission: University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.