Manor students, Tianna Kennett, Santanna Mills, Jackie Hoffman, Shane Hirtle, Brett Turgeon, Hayley Englot, Luke McCrimmon, and Brayden Rowley, all attended the 13th annual Global Classrooms International Model UN Conference that was held in New York City. Leaving on May 16 and returning on the 22, the students had a fantastic time coming back with many colourful stories.
After long hours of preparing position papers and raising funds they were off to the Big Apple.
It was a large conference boasting over 2,300 students in attendance from all over the world. Schools from the United Arab Emirates, Jamaica, India, Mexico, Japan, Spain, Bermuda, and Sweden were all present.
There were only two Canadian schools in attendance: one being Manor and the other a private prep school out of Vancouver. The students encountered others from all walks of life, which was one of the many highlights during the trip.
The conference lasted from May 17 to 19. They initially partook in training sessions to understand what was expected of them. May 17 saw the opening ceremonies in the General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters. "It was really cool that UN members actually sit and discuss where we were seated for the opening and closing ceremonies." Kennett explained.
The next couple of days saw the delegate's discussion groups convene in committee sessions at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Students were unsure of what to expect. Even returning students to the program were met by new experiences. They all felt as though they were slightly underprepared to begin with, but quickly caught on to procedures and became engaged in the conference.
McCrimmon and Rowley, two students that attended last year and thought they knew what to expect, explained that "it was different for us this year, our committee only had like 22 people in it. It wasn't really what we expected. New crisis were always coming up that had to be dealt with." They were representing Egypt on one of the historical UN Security Councils at the conference. The two adjusted and overall enjoyed the conference and the trip immensely. A group of 22 delegates is a big change from the larger groups such as the General Assembly, which sits approximately 200 or more students.
Turgeon, delegate for Germany in the General Assembly, said "it was educational and I learned a lot." The other students agreed. Mills, Kennett, and Englot all agreed that they would like to participate more in the conference next year if they have the opportunity, since they now know what to expect and what the procedures are during the committee sessions.
They were excited about the guest speakers who were present at the conference including Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, who addressed those in attendance. Monique Coleman the UN Youth Champion and Fabien Cousteau, founder and Executive Director of Plant a Fish, who they found to be memorable speakers.
Their time in NYC wasn't simply dedicated to sitting in conference rooms. The students were able to experience the life of New York and the attractions it has to offer. They attended a Yankees baseball game, took in Times Square, stopped by Build-A-Bear on 5th Avenue, went to Central Park, and went to the Top of the Rock at the Rockafeller Center.
Standing at the Top of the Rock as night fell they were met with the beauty of the busy city, which was quite the site for them. Some of the highlights of the trip included being able to attend the 9/11 Memorial Site, which was something they took to heart. While other highlights included eating at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square and going out to the Statue of Liberty, which was on a beautifully clear day. At the Statue they were able to take in the view of Manhattan and part of New Jersey.
The only let down the students seem to have of their trip was the Central Park Zoo. Expecting it to be a lot like the one in the movie Madagascar, they were slightly disappointed to find it was not everything they expected. Still, being able to watch the sea lions get fed was quite interesting.
The students also had an entertaining time using the subway system, which they found to be quite the experience. They rode while it was extremely squished, as well as close to empty. The young delegates found that eating at Pax every morning was quite the thrill since, by the end of the week, the servers would joke with them and knew all of the students' orders.
All of the students hope to partake in the Model United Nations in Manor next year and Rowley said that if he were not graduating he would also be a part of it again. Principal Ron Wardrope was able to offer it as a credit class this year. Next year he hopes to make it part of the class schedule thereby being able to dedicate more time to prepare the students for what to expect in the conference. A class that encourages hard work, public speaking, and interaction in current affairs it is a fun way for the students to learn about diplomacy. They are hoping to possibly attend a different conference next year as they are held in many areas throughout the United States.
They did many fundraisers in order to attend the conference, but it would not have been possible without the sponsorship of local businesses: Western Ag Labs, TNT Oilfield Services Ltd., Sunny K Seeds, Manor Fun Daze, and the Spectra Credit Union. Special thanks from the students also go to the chaperones, Wardrope and his wife Jodi, for all they have done.
