Middle Schoolers Collaborate to Solve World Problems at Model UN
Pioneered by history teacher and Model UN club advisor Lauren Hoyt ’08, 8th-graders participated in a day-long simulation of the United Nations, serving as the capstone to a 7-week-long intensive unit for students. In collaboration with several students from the Upper School Model UN team, students took over 80 Sparks Street as the headquarters of the UN for a day.
Three gatherings of delegations spent the whole morning and some of the afternoon drafting proposals for their countries. History teacher Sean Moyo explained that each student got to choose their partner, but not their country to research and represent. Proposals in all three rooms strived to tackle everything from food insecurity to climate change by collaborating with other countries.
Each location used different variations of parliamentary procedure, with one room presenting proposals, editing based on questions, then voting. In contrast, one of the other rooms heard a proposal and voted on it. The latter created and voted on a 7-part proposal titled “The Boston Resolution,” and passed all 7 clauses.
The day concluded in the Big Room where teachers and Upper School students handed out awards to 7 groups of delegates, crowning them for their hard work, public speaking prowess, and dedication to the assignment.
