On their journey to becoming one of the top high school teams in the country, Storm King’s Model UN Team had the chance to learn from members of one of the nation’s top college-level MUN teams. On Monday, January 29, the captains of the West Point Model UN Team Cadets Derrick Siebman and John Govern spent time on campus helping our students prepare for the upcoming National High School Model UN Conference (NHSMUN) in New York City.

The largest high school conference in the world, NHSMUN 2018’s two sessions will host 5,000 participants from more than 75 countries and 250 schools. NHSMUN is known for its diverse, prestigious attendees, world-class staff, proven substantive excellence, and accurate, engaging committee simulations. The Storm King Team will represent the country of Niger on March 2 -5.

The overall goal for Storm King will be to represent Niger as if in the real world, taking positions on issues that concern Niger and developing solutions to problems that affect this poor nation.  The cadets, who are both seniors at West Point, coached SKS team members on strategies and leadership approaches to use as they put together an effective case. “Above all, make yourselves visible. Be vocal. Don’t be afraid to talk, raise your hand, and share your opinions with others,” the cadets explained. The group covered areas such as preparing a professional paper, delivering an opening speech that will resonate with the judges, and researching and presenting the issues assigned to each committee. The cadets added that the skills they have developed on their MUN team clearly help them in all phases of their academic and military leadership programs.

The Storm King Team is comprised of the following committees and delegates:

Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM):  Dominique Gooden ‘21 and Joan Kacyira ‘18

Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SECPOL):  Pierce Pramuka ‘20

African Union Committee (AU): Joseph Dawson ‘18 and Alisdair Neighbors ‘22

Delegates Commission on the Status of Women (CSW): Asia Raacke ‘19

According to History Department Chair Michael Hauser, who coordinates Storm King’s Model UN team, preparation for the National Conference is a significant challenge and our team has been working hard. “The insights and information the cadets provided is invaluable and will be very useful to our team as they prepare for the conference in the coming weeks. They are also fantastic role models for our students who are only a few years away from college and career,” he explained.