By Jacob Boldur
The United Nations body is constantly hard at work, solving enduring issues that impact the global body. As the United Nations aims to unify the globe, NHP’s Model UN aims to unify students. Every year, the Model UN family joins together to debate in their annual district conference known as SIDMUN. First founded in 1994 by former NHP social studies chairperson Lee Marcus, this year, the conference held its 30 year anniversary.
On April 6, NHP delegates gathered at H. Frank Carey High School to prepare for debate. Students debated a wide variety of issues such as the instability in Afghanistan (UNSC), improving healthcare equity for indigenous people (WHO), rehab of incarcerated individuals (UNHRC), gender-based violence and access to justice (SOCHUM) and the development of sustainable and safe AI in developing areas (DISEC).
Source from Rebecca John
NHP delegates showcase their long hours of preparation at SIDMUN, bringing both intricate solutions and high energy to the conference.
Being a conference that connects all the schools in the district, SIDMUN involves immense organization to ensure everything runs smoothly. NHPMUN adviser Mr. Novak, SIDMUN staff Rebecca John and Kaitlyn Bell and all of NHPs delegates have dedicated extensive hours of their time into the conference.
“I’m so incredibly excited to be a part of the staff this year,” Executive Director Rebecca John said. “Seeing the inner workings around a conference I have been to so many times before is so bittersweet. Orchestrating an interdistrict conference is not easy, and I’m so grateful to be a part of a team of talented individuals who are passionate about Model UN.”
“The amount of effort and preparation that goes into any conference that the Model UN club partakes in is crucial to the success of the club,” Mr. Novak said. “For this particular conference a lot of work is needed in terms of making sure that our freshman class goes into their first conference with confidence and research that will help ensure they enjoy SIDMUN as much as possible.”
“I have been super excited to prepare for SIDMUN this year,” Under Secretary General Kaitlyn Bell said. “As SIDMUN staff, it has been very bittersweet to help everyone prepare, as it is my last high school conference. Everyone is super excited to debate, and I think our club is very prepared.”
Source from Rebecca John
Under Secretary General Kaitlyn Bell works hard behind the scenes of the UNSC to ensure the crisis committee runs smoothly.
Overall, the part of SIDMUN that sets it apart from other conferences is the mentor relationship many upperclassmen form with the freshmen.
“As someone going into SIDMUN for the first time I feel nervous. I'm competing with delegates that have received many awards and are very knowledgeable, but I also know that with time and effort I can also become one of them,” freshman Aditi Parikh said. “I feel as if we are not really competing against upperclassmen because, through this whole process, they’re always there for us and help us as much as they can.”
The following delegates were recognized for excellence in their committees.
WHO (4):
Best: Rwanda- Sahir Bhatia & Aayan Ahmed
Outstanding: Australia- Jacob Boldur & Aditi Parikh
Honorable: Malaysia- Mason Berardelli
Honorable: Mozambique- Bea Navarro & Zahra Nuha
SOCHUM (5):
Best: Kuwait- Krish Singh & Hima Binu
Outstanding: Mozambique- Ariana Muhammad & Kiana LaGrasta
Honorable: Egypt- Ismael El Mohtadi & Liam Cabildo
Honorable: Germany- Sarah Chummar & Carmela Drossman-Schlossberg
Honorable: Rwanda- Mackenzie Moon & Isabella Privilegi
UNHRC (5):
Best: Qatar- Theodora Doukas & Darsh Mirchandani
Outstanding: United States- Nyelle Sarreal & Dhara Patel
Honorable: Malaysia- Zahra Mazkur & Nikita Bansal
Honorable: Rwanda- Tiffany Tso & Suha Tasfia
Best Position Paper: Sierra Leone- Jason Kang & Alexander Krawczyk
DISEC (6):
Best: Dominican Republic- Deborah Aderibigbe & Jash Mody
Outstanding: Rwanda- Tanisha Patel & Gianna Bonetti
Honorable: Qatar- Rehan Farooq & Anirudh Arvind
Honorable: Mozambique- Shohom Chakraborty & Liam Cavanagh
Honorable: Sierra Leone- Allison Chen & Rafael Garcia
Novice: Malaysia - Rocco Liapri & Zarif Abrar
UNSC(2):
Best: United States- Marco Valle & Alexander Tomalski
Honorable: Mozambique- Daniel Zekthi & Arvin Ghai