The Storm King School’s Model UN Team traveled to The Bronx, New York, recently to participate in their first MUN conference of the school year. The HoMMUNC (Horace Mann Model UN Conference), in its 38^th year, hosts over 1,000 delegates from more than 40 schools each year and represents an opportunity for delegates to participate in real world debates regarding foreign affairs.

“The event was a great experience for our students,” commented Tim Gillett, the MUN team’s faculty advisor. “Our delegates worked very hard and came well-prepared for the conference’s seven committees dealing with topics from election integrity to the legal implications of gene editing technology. The SKS team made a strong showing at their first conference and everyone did a great job.”

SKS Student Delegates: Shaheer A. ’26, Emily K. ‘26, Nyla A. ’25, Burak O. ’25, Tianci Z. ’25, Shukang S. ’25, Caroline C. ’24, Yiting L. ’24, Matilde B. ’24.       

“I worked on SOCHUM (Social, Humanitarian & Cultural Committee) that talked about communication and journalistic freedom. We discussed different solutions to promote freedom of the press around the world,” explained SKS delegate Tianci Z. ’25.

“My committee was SPECPOL (Special Political and Decolonization Committee) where we dealt with the issues of the oil industry in the Arctic region. This was my first conference and it was very nerve-wracking,” commented delegate Emily K. ’26. “I enjoyed speaking with the students from other schools about the topic at hand. It was great practice and next time I will be able to participate even more because I know what to expect.”

Upon their return to campus, Mr. Gillett reported that two SKS delegates received Honorable Mentions at the conference for their work on the ISS (International Space Station Committee), a crisis committee comprised of model astronauts and cosmonauts from various nations, international space agencies, and other important players in the space industry. Shaheer A. ‘26 and Caroline C. ’24, along with the other ISS members, were tasked with addressing the loss of communications between the ground and the International Space Station and other issues faced by the nations represented in the ISS.

“On the ISS, Caroline and I worked as Sergey Revin, a Russian astronaut. We debated and engaged with other delegates on the matter of failed communications in the ISS, and how it is disrupting signals on ground to the astronauts,” explained Shaheer. “Caroline led a successful directive along with 15 other delegates which allowed us to win the Honorable Mention award for Best Delegate. In short, the event was very fun and a great chance for both of us to gain experience in MUN, as it was our first time at a conference.”

Congratulations to Shaheer and Caroline, and the entire SKS MUN Team for representing The Storm King School well. Next, they will travel to Dobbs Ferry, New York, for their next MUN conference run by The Masters School in early December.