CHS Students Attend Yale Model UN

BY SHIAN EARLINGTON
Canton High School Students who participate in the club Model United Nations attended the Yale Model United Nations,  “a four-day international relations simulation for high school students held annually on Yale University ’s campus in New Haven” from Thursday, Jan. 19 through Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017.
Canton High School’s Model UN has been run by Social Studies Department Chair, Nora Mocarski for ten years and began with ten students. This year, 31 students engaged in three days of committee sessions on the overnight trip. Chaperones Ms. Mocarski, Robyn Jones and Lindsay Barth as well as all students slept over at New Haven Hotel.   
Of the three trips offered to Model UN club members, Yale is considered “Varsity Model UN” for various reasons: the campus is prestigious, the committees are intense, and it is longer than The UConn Model UN and The University of Hartford Model UN.  
“It’s a very intense and engaging trip” says senior student Santiago Noriega, a third year attendee. “This year was very well organized and the topics were really interesting and universal.”
The first day consisted of opening ceremonies as well as committee session number one. During the second and third day of committee, problems did arise regarding the Women’s March and protests against President Trump’s inauguration. These demonstrations took place near the buildings used for Model UN. Luckily, students were able to successfully avoid the complications and nobody was hurt.  
The experience of participating and collaborating with international students in such an engaging conference provided Canton High School students with a unique opportunity to practice complex international negotiations and gain new insights and perspectives on important global issues.