Following months of preparation, students from our Model United Nations society recently spent a week in New York to attend the National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) conference.
Participating students from schools and colleges across the world are assigned different countries to represent and this year our students were selected to represent Uganda. Before the conference, they spent time researching different topics in preparation. To aid them with their research, participating students were fortunate enough to be invited to the Ugandan High Commission in Trafalgar Square. They met the deputy high commissioner Amb. John Leonard Mugerwa who was incredibly generous with his time and knowledge. Students were briefed on the topics that they would be discussing, including Illegal internal drug trafficking, the issue of Gibraltar and protection of female rights.
After months of preparation, staff and students took an early flight to New York on the 11
th March and on arrival, headed straight to Chelsea market and then Times Square for the evening! Thanks to the time difference, everyone was up early the following morning for a full day of walking and sightseeing, starting with 5th Avenue and breakfast at the Rockefeller Center, before taking the elevator up 67 stories to enjoy the stunning views from the Top of the Rock Experience. The group then took the subway to Brooklyn for lunch and walked back across the bridge to Manhattan. Students then walked to the 9/11 memorial to reflect on the impact the attacks had on international politics in preparation for our conference. This was followed by a trip on the Staten Island Ferry for the view of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Ten miles of walking later, staff and students headed back to the hotel for some well earned sleep!
On Wednesday, the day started with breakfast at the famous Liberty bagels. After a quick photo outside Trump Tower, staff and students enjoyed some time exploring Central Park before heading downtown to Chinatown and Little Italy for dinner
The rest of the week was all about
the NHSMUN Conference and the time spent researching different topics in preparation for representing Uganda over the past few months certainly paid off. At the conference students took part in a number of committee sessions, engaging in diplomacy and debate with students from all over the world. The final day also was timed perfectly for a St Patrick’s Day celebration which the group watched from outside St Patrick’s Cathedral (appropriately) followed by a quick visit to Grand Central before getting ready to head home.