Last month, representatives from Tappan Zee High School’s Model UN Club joined students from six continents for the Columbia University Model United Nations Conference and Exposition. Over the course of the weekend event, delegates debated current and historical international crises through intense simulations. Senior Sam M. was named Best Delegate for his committee work.
Junior Noah K. served on the Organization of American States Committee. “We spent most of our time proposing resolutions for migrants who emigrated from Venezuela because of the country’s current economic crisis,” he reported.
Senior Lucy B. researched the French Wars of Religion in preparation for CMUNCE XIX. “Mr. (Martin) Patmos and Mr. (Matthew) Robertson helped me adopt a sixteenth-century mindset and argue my role’s point of view,” she said. “We created an action plan to avert the massacre of 10,000 Protestants over a three-day timeframe and to appease their adversaries.”
“This was my first year and I didn’t know what to expect,” noted Julia S., a sophomore. “The Shanghai Communique was a tough topic, as this event hasn’t been taught in my classes. We weren’t able to speak to the Chinese delegation and get their perspective, so it was debated from solely an American point of view.”
As part of their CMUNCE experience, the TZHS delegates visited the offices of Permanent Representative of Portugal Francisco António Duarte Lopes. Club Co-President Jacob G., who represented Portugal for the Congress of Vienna 1814 Committee, was particularly excited to meet the diplomat. “It was my favorite part of the weekend,” he said.
Social Studies teacher and Model UN advisor Martin Patmos said that CMUNCE provides delegates with valuable opportunities to develop leadership skills, connect with students from around the world and gain a deeper understanding of international affairs. “We met with a diplomat who talked about serving on the UN Climate Change panel. This became an interesting conversation, as our group had people from five countries in one room discussing the relationships between economic development and climate.”
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