Webutuck students reflect on trip to the Model UN

AMENIA — Webutuck High School sent 20 students to serve in a Model United Nations activity Friday, Dec. 5.

The group, which included students from multiple grade levels representing a range of countries, collaborated to debate this year’s topic: “The Republic of Sudan: Civil War & Conflict in the Darfur Region.”

The Dutchess Board of Cooperative Education Services in Poughkeepsie hosted the event. Webutuck High School was one of seven schools in the region to attend the event, which was facilitated by Professor Matthew Murray of Dutchess Community College.

“I really appreciate the chance to go to Model UN because it really does show this younger generation what’s going on in the world right now,” said junior Emily Howarth, who represented South Sudan.

Bill Havranek, a social studies teacher at Webutuck for more than 20 years, said the school has been sending students to the BOCES Model UN since 2016. The goal, he said, is to help students strengthen public speaking, collaboration, critical thinking skills, and deepen their appreciation and respect for other cultures — all of which are elements that are crucial to enhancing the school’s college-readiness curriculum.

“When I instruct my students, they get something more powerful from people who are coming from the outside,” Havranek said. “It’s not the teacher instructing or coaching, but a real life experience.”

For junior Hailey Brennan, who represented Iran, participating in the event was a meaningful opportunity to build confidence. Brennan said she has “always been shy,” so warming up to students from other schools was challenging at first. But she soon found it easy to work with them and was grateful for the experience.

A Webutuck student researches debate topics during a proceeding of the Model UN at Dutchess BOCES.Provided

After collaborating with students from other schools for a few hours, the delegation eventually passed a peace agreement resolution. For Howarth, one of the challenges was trying to understand other country’s perspectives, even when she didn’t agree with what they were arguing.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these students in this school and community,” Havranek said. “The level of decorum and respect that they have is really quite amazing to see them adapt so quickly and dive right in without reservation.”

“It’s really honorable to be chosen to represent your school at events like this,” Lyla Kern, a sophomore who represented Chad, said. This was her first time participating in the Model UN conference, and she said she looks forward to doing it again as she particularly enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside other school districts in discussing important topics.

In addition to supporting students’ teamwork and personal growth, the conference also emphasizes the importance of multicultural appreciation, something Havranek said is especially valuable as students begin to consider college as their next step, both in regards to academic and cultural awareness.

“I hope that they take away their ability to interact with people their age and have a broader perspective for cultures as well,” said Havranek. “The more we know about another place and the way things work, geographically speaking, the more respect for that culture we have.”

He added that exposure to diversity now will help students in the long run, with Model UN events being an ideal gateway.

“There’s a lot of cultural diversity at colleges that students are exposed to, that they may not be exposed to at a regular school district in a rural setting, or really, any setting, for that matter,” Havranek said. “There’s just a different way of conducting yourself, a different decorum, and I think that it’s just going to benefit them overall, and it’s something they’re not going to forget.”