School’s Model United Nations club opens 2017 activity with two big conferences to be held at Oakland and Michigan State.
On this day in 1946, the first General Assembly of the United Nations, comprising 51 nations, convened at Westminster Central Hall in London, England. A week later, the U.N. Security Council met for the first time and established its rules of procedure. Then, on January 24, 1946, the General Assembly adopted its first resolution, a measure calling for the peaceful uses of atomic energy and the elimination of atomic and other weapons of mass destruction.
It wasn’t until 1952 that the current UN headquarters opened in downtown Manhattan in New York City.
Notre Dame senior Alexis Lawroski currently serves as president of Notre Dame’s Model UN club.
Since then, members of the school’s Model United Nations program, or MUN, have participated in a number of conferences, including one in November sponsored by the Southeast Michigan Model United Nations Association (SEMMUNA) held at Northville High School. It was the largest Model UN conference to date in the state of Michigan and featured more than 1,000 delegates from such schools as the International Academy, Detroit Country Day, UD-Jesuit, Ann Arbor Greenhills and Bloomfield Hills High School.
Dave Osiecki, a social studies teacher in the upper division and the moderator of Notre Dame’s MUN club, said each committee at the conferences features delegate speeches, question and answer sessions, and the drafting of working papers and resolutions.
“Parliamentary procedures similar to the real United Nations are observed throughout,” he said, “and the discussions and negotiations can get quite sophisticated. Our Notre Dame delegates typically demonstrate knowledge, passion and poise throughout,” he said.
Osiecki said he and Notre Dame’s MUN are excited about the new year. “We are preparing for two big events coming up in March, both college-run conferences, one at Oakland University and the other at MSU,” Osiecki said today.
“Delegates most definitely learn about world affairs, but perhaps more importantly, they also learn about working together,” Osiecki added.
Notre Dame senior Alexis Lawroski currently serves as president of Notre Dame's Model UN club.
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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.