Between March 4 and March 7, 2021, the Greenwich High School Model UN team participated in the Washington Model UN Conference (WAMUNC) hosted by George Washington University and the International Affairs Society.
During the conference, delegates explored topics ranging from nuclear proliferation to the Kiel Mutiny. Committees at WAMUNC included both the traditional General Assembly styles and dynamic Crisis styles.
GHS Students ended up smashing their award records at previous conferences, winning 5 Best Delegate Awards and surpassing their previous high of 4 Best Delegate Awards achieved just last conference in January. Benjamin Shi, Junior, won Best Delegate; Aarya Dhru, Junior, won Best Delegate; Katherine Tibberts, Senior, won Best Delegate; Josh Winston, Senior, won Best Delegate; and Amrutha Nandakumar, Freshman, won Best Delegate, all in their respective committees. In total, GHS picked up 10 Delegate awards. The GHS Model UN team also received an Outstanding Large Delegation award, the first Group Delegation award in its history.
Model UN Club advisor Ian Tiedemann shared his thoughts on the recent result.
“WAMUNC was an amazing conclusion to our year of college conferences,” Tiedemann said. “We had more students win Best Delegate than at any other conference in my time as the team’s advisor. We were also recognized as an Outstanding Large Delegation for the first time.”
“When I look at our performance, though, what strikes me is that we feature a team of students who have been part of our club since they were in middle school,” Tiedemann continued. “Our club’s leadership includes three students who participated in our summer program as 8th graders; our current 9th grader who won Best at WAMUNC was in the same summer program as a 6th grader. To me, our performance at WAMUNC represents our deep roots in the community, but also our commitment to learning throughout the pandemic. Combined, nothing could make me happier.”
The GHS Model UN team hopes to continue their successes next year with a new generation of MUN-passionate students.
Award Winners and their Committees listed below:
SOCHUM | Bryn McConnell | Verbal |
SOCHUM | Katherine Tibberts | Best |
Commission of Latin American States | Veda Swaminathan | Outstanding |
Commission on the Status of Women | Aarya Dhru | Best |
Human Rights Council | Amrutha Nandakumar | Best |
Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space | Ambika Grover | Outstanding |
Ad Hoc Committee of the Secretary General | Skyler McDonnell | Honorable |
Global Health in Communism | Ziyi Yan | Honorable |
Kiel Mutiny | Joshua Winston | Best |
The Transition of Arrakis/Dune | Benjamin Shi | Best |