Notre Dame’s Model United Nations club heads to Northville on Nov. 5 for prestigious conference.
Notre Dame’s Model UN club’s participation in a Nov. 5 conference in Northville will be led by, left to right: seniors Mariel Manzor, Jacqueline Kenny and Alexis Lawroski, and junior Julia Nellis.
According to Dave Osiecki, a social studies teacher in Notre Dame’s upper division and the moderator of Notre Dame’s Model United Nations club, the student “security councils” will discuss such topics as the Arab-Israeli conflict and the situation in North Korea, while other MUN committees will discuss such diverse topics as cyber-security, the safety of health-care workers in war zones, nuclear proliferation and drug trafficking.
Nearly 30 Notre Dame students will be participating in the Southeast Michigan Model United Nations Association (SEMMUNA) annual conference on Nov. 5 at Northville High School.
Two years ago at this conference, Notre Dame was represented by five students, who established the team in Notre Dame’s first year with a MUN club. This year at the conference, the club features close to 30 participants, including four students chairing Model UN committees.
“I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to chair a committee about the ethics of healthcare in warring nations at 2016's SEMMUNA conference,” said NDP senior Jackie Kenny. “While the media focuses so much on the wars and the nations themselves, I think that centering an entire committee about this specific aspect of the conflicts will open doors to engaging discussion about global conflict, but with a human rights and healthcare bent. This will be my first time chairing a committee and I've loved the preparations thus far and can't wait to see where MUN takes me next.”
Chairing a committee is a significant responsibility at a conference like this, according to Osiecki, as many committees are being run by college students from their own university MUN programs.
Notre Dame will have four committee chairs at the Nov. 5 conference, including junior Julia Nellis and seniors Alexis Lawroski, who is president of the school’s MUN club, Jacqueline Kenny and Mariel Manzor.
“As the chair of the committee on healthcare in war zones, I will be organizing debate on this topic, making sure everything runs smoothly and all delegates get the most out of this experience,” said Manzor. “I am also responsible for seeing that the committee produces a resolution that is not only satisfactory to the vast majority of delegations, but also has the potential to enact real change.”
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.