Saint Stephen’s boasts quite a few competitive academic clubs, but none quite as popular as CMUNCE.

Over the Martin Luther King Day weekend, a group of students traveled to New York to compete in the Model United Nations Conference at Columbia University, otherwise known as CMUNCE.  The CMUNCE team is sponsored by social studies teacher Ms. Murphy.

The students who went participated in various sessions, or real-world political simulations, during which they were challenged to solve crises. They went through several procedures that were modeled after United Nations conferences, such as writing directives and communiques to achieve their goals.

The students who attended CMUNCE got the opportunity to participate in one of several committees, which threw them into creative and interesting situations and encouraged them to come up with solutions to unique problems.

Delegates from Saint Stephen’s participated in several “committees,” including Obama’s 2008 campaign, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Sicilian Mafia, Roanoke Colony in 1587, Star Wars – The Clone Wars, and Treachery in Ivan IV’s court.

In the end, three students came back with awards, which are given to standout participants: Hayes Chatham (‘18), Sarah Glaser (‘18), Eliška Patockova (‘18).  These are highly competitive simulations, and awards are hard to come by.

In addition to improving their ability to think outside the box, the students who went to CMUNCE got the opportunity to spend some time in New York and to check out the campus of Columbia University. This helped the competitors experience spending time on a college campus, which could help them make their decisions when it comes to choosing a college in senior year.

Mikayla Woodard, a Sophomore who attended the conference said of the experience, “This was my first year going to CMUNCE and a great opportunity for learning about the world’s politics and how they work. Not only is the conference interesting, but Columbia’s campus is also an interesting place to explore not to mention that it is located in Manhattan which offers even more opportunities of entertainment and sightseeing.”

CMUNCE offers many things to the students who attend, including opportunities to improve their ability to think quickly and outside the box and to explore the campus of Columbia University and New York City. It is a wonderful experience for all those who are interested in challenging themselves in a new environment.