Model U.N. has already begun practicing every Thursday after school for the Zionsville Model U.N. conference (ZMUN) which takes place on Sept. 29 at 9 a.m. They are learning the parliamentary procedures and discussion tactics used in conferences by running simulations. This particular conference is one that takes place at the beginning of every year and acts as a practice conference to determine students’ abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, and helps participants decide whether they want to continue with the club and pay the $200 fee required to take part in the later conferences. It will likely last until 3 p.m.

Model U.N. advisor Sandy Gardner says anyone at any point during the year is still welcome to join and participate in upcoming conferences. They just have to stop by Room E208 to get signed up to be on the Remind list.

For those who aren’t familiar, Model U.N. is a program in which students are each randomly assigned a country that they must represent in a conversation about a topic relevant to current world events.

Model U.N. President Hannah Kosc says, “It’s a good way to develop your public speaking skills and your interpersonal relations.”

Gardner also says that participating in Model U.N. helps students improve self-confidence and awareness of current events.

“I feel like kids of all different types … and personalities come to the group, and find a niche, and find a way that they … will get along even though they’re so different, and that’s because we all center around one particular issue and love for history and politics,” she said.

This year, participation is up a significant amount. Kosc said that at the Sept. 13 meeting, there were over 80 students in attendance, but 198 students have signed up to attend later meetings as sports seasons come to their ends. All Model U.N. students are invited to join in the Zionsville conference; however, for the conference at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., in November, only 24 students will be able to attend due to limited space and chaperones.

There will also be a conference at Earlham College in January, and the season will end with a conference at CHS in April. By Sam Hawkins