Empowering Voices at a Successful MasMUNC III

12/11/2024

The third annual Masters Model United Nations Conference, aka MasMUNC, for middle and upper school students, showcased the power of thoughtful debate and diplomacy while tackling global issues and meaningful discussions.

Held on Saturday, December 7, the School’s Model UN team hosted 210 middle and upper school delegates and faculty from 17 local schools.

Committees ranged from General Assemblies (UNESCO and DISEC) to Specialized (Emu War and the Roman Empire) and Crisis (Watergate, the Fourth Crusade, the Shakespeare Multiverse). The middle school committees included sessions covering TikTok, Spy School and Mount St. Helens.

Secretaries-General Jesse Gelman ’25 and Sophie Moussapour '25 and Director-General Neena Atkins ’26 led Masters’ Secretariat team. Angus McCallum ’29 was the middle school leader.

Atkins described the day as “energetic, collaborative and uplifting.” Moussapour concurred. “We worked so hard to innovate a conference rooted in our school values that emphasizes respect, prioritizes creating a learning environment, and makes our MUN team and participating delegates powers for good in the world,” she said.

McCallum said, “Our middle school delegates performed brilliantly in their committees, and although they didn't win any awards, they followed our mission statement and gathered to learn, to strive, to dare, and to be a power for good in the world.”

Brittany Farrar, who serves alongside Ben Thorn as faculty co-advisors to MUN, called the event “ambitious” and was thrilled to “see visiting delegates happy, to welcome new schools to the event, and to network with other Model UN advisors.”

Atkins, who filled in as a chair for the Roman Senate committee, celebrated a moment of camaraderie. “At the end of the final committee session after all directives had been passed, we played a hilarious game of superlatives in ‘FUN MUN’ (an activity that takes place after closed debate)!” she said.

“For so many middle schoolers and high schoolers, this was their first-ever MUN conference, and we were so proud to be able to present them with such a well-organized and well-resourced event,” Moussapour said. “All of this was made possible by our wonderful advisors Ms. Farrar and Mr. Thorn, the entire MUN team, and our administration for supporting the team's vision to make MASMUNC a reality.”

Up next for this group of young leaders are the Columbia Model United Nations Conference and Exposition (CMUNCE) in Manhattan in January, and the North American Invitational Model United Nations Conference (NAIMUN) in Washington, D.C., in February.