MUN attends John Hopkins conference

The Mira Costa High School Model United Nations program celebrate after winning the best large delegation at a conference in Baltimore, Maryland. 32 students attended the advanced conference, where Costa placed very well compared to other advanced conferences throughout this year. Reproduced with the permission of Judi Walley

By Michael Todd

Staff Writer

The Mira Costa Model United Nations program attended the Johns Hopkins University Model UN conference from Feb. 9-12 in Baltimore, Maryland.

A total of 32 delegates in the advanced class attended the conference. At the conference, Costa won best large delegation.

“The debate went very well for a conference that we have never attended before,” senior and Secretary General Matt DuMont said. “We brought a very diverse team of advanced delegates who all performed well.”

Photos: Mira Costa Model United Nations students prepare for their conference at Johns Hopkins University by using class time to research and discuss topics.

Seven students won best delegate awards, five students won outstanding delegate awards and six students received commendations.

“We felt that we had a really good chance to do very well for our first time attending the conference,” MUN teacher Robert Timberlake said. “We pushed really hard to ensure that everyone was prepared, and we ended up doing very well.”

Video: Mira Costa Model UN student Yusuf Abdul Cader talks about how he prepares for his upcoming conference at Johns Hopkins. Yusuf studied in class and researched his topic i order to be prepared for his debate.

All of the students who attended the conference debated individually, as there was no opportunity to work in pairs for this debate. Students researched their topics and prepared by themselves for this conference.

“Its was a different conference for me as I have become used to working with a partner,” sophomore Lucas Falley said. “It was important to make friends in my committee.”

The Johns Hopkins Model UN official website.

Participants used time in class to prepare for the conference, as well as coming in after school and researching at home. Their topics were picked from a wide variety of problems addressed in the UN, such as economics and health care.

“I know that the students who attended the conference were very well prepared,” DuMont said. “They were all ready to individually perform and have a strong debate.”

Mira Costa Model UN website.

The next conference Costa will attend is the Berkeley Model UN conference on March 3-5, which will be held at the University of California Berkeley.

“This conference will definitely help us carry momentum,” DuMont said. “Our first spring conferences are coming up so I was proud how everyone was able to give it their all at this conference.”