On Saturday, Oct. 18, Lockport’s Model United Nations (LPMUN) made history with a total of six awards won at Carl Sandburg’s Conference (CSMUN XVI)—double the former record of three awards at a conference. With sophomore Will Maier, and juniors Jack Pluth, Emily Hogan, and Zaira Reyes, winning Honorable Delegate in their committees, and junior Dayton Barrett alongside seniors Ella Kedzierski and Julianne Carway (double delegation) winning Outstanding Delegate.

Lockport Model UN has attended CSMUN for several years now, as it is a learning conference designed to give new members of Model UN the opportunity to see how conferences typically run. 

“I’m excited but I’m also kind of sad,” said Secretary General, Claire Plese, sharing her nostalgia as a senior attending CSMUN for the last time, “It’s kind of bittersweet.”

Model UN is an educational club where students mirror the workings of the real United Nations. The club helps students to form skills of leadership, compromise, and creativity by working with others to create unique solutions to real world problems. Model UN conferences are held by various schools, where students can put what they have learned into practice alongside peers from nearby areas.

Conferences are organized into committees: General Assembly, which represents the committees of the real UN such as the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) or the World Health Organization (WHO), or Crisis, which are usually based on fictional worlds or historical events and are quicker paced. In these committees, the delegates discuss specific issues and develop solutions.

Those that perform exceptionally well in a conference may have the chance to receive an award. These awards are given based on displays of leadership, teamwork, thorough understanding of the given topic and strong public speaking skills. They are divided into three categories: first place equates to Best Delegate, second place is awarded Outstanding Delegate, and third place is equivalent to Honorable Delegate. There are often multiple Outstanding and Honorable awards given, especially in larger committees.

At LTHS, Model UN was formerly a very small club. In fact, the club is still not considered a competition team despite going to multiple conferences per year. If the club was a competition team, they would attend more conferences, have more involved sponsors and adequate funding. However, that may soon change as a result of the overwhelming success of this weekend’s conference as well as the large increase in club attendance. This school year, the number of members has more than tripled, from around 15 regularly returning members to over 60.

“I’m so proud of Model UN for breaking our record of awards,” states Julianne Carway, the other Secretary General of the club, “I’m hoping that all of our conferences this year will continue that streak.”

With a great start to the year, returning members are extremely hopeful for the future of the club. They are optimistic that the immense accomplishments of CSMUN XVI will inspire the future of Lockport Model UN.