Model UN heads to St. Louis

Luke Lusson, Reporter

LT’s Model United Nations club (MUN) will be attending a conference at Washington University in St. Louis from Oct. 14-16, looking to place first in an event where they have finished top three in the past two years. 

“This conference requires the students to interact in different situations,” advisor Andrew Johannes said. “The committees are typically different from other conferences and allow the students to have a fun and unique experience.” 

This will be the third year that MUN students are attending the conference, Johannes said. J.P. Remijas 17, the Secretary General of MUN, has been appearing at the event since his sophomore year. 

“It’s a really good conference,” Remijas said. “The topics are always very engaging and the staff always does a good job of creating realistic crises.” 

Forty LT students will be traveling to Washington University this year, all ready to compete against 30 other high schools throughout the Midwest, Johannes said.  

Peter Eggerding 17, the Secretary General of LT’s conference, LYMUN, hopes that this year LT can break through and capture first. 

“We have been working hard all year to get to this point,” Eggerding said. “I plan on winning and I know that the rest of the team thinks the same.” 

Along with focusing on taking first place, MUN students are preparing for a conference that is different from what they are used to. The committees, or topics of discussion, are very distinct – such as the California Gold Rush, the Aztec Empire, and the colonization of Mars.  

The conference also has the students in cabinets rather than UN general assemblies. As a cabinet member, each student has more power to take action on each topic, Remijas said. 

“In addition to doing research on policy and practicing speeches, we have been going over how to use personal powers effectively,” Remijas said. “Since everyone is in a cabinet, you have a special position with special abilities.” 

With two conferences already completed this year, MUN is confident that it will be successful in St. Louis. 

“I think our team has lots of potential to do well,” Remijas said. “If everyone performs as best they can and wins an award, we have a great chance of placing first or second.”