MONROE - A dozen Monroe High School students put themselves in the shoes of United Nations ambassadors for two days last month.
The students, along with 600 others, attended the Wisconsin High School Model United Nations on March 19-20 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. They discussed international issues, negotiated in blocs with other countries, and drafted, debated and passed resolutions in the General Assembly.
The MHS delegations prepared background papers on the countries they represented, Rwanda and Austria, to become familiar with the history, geography, culture and specific concerns of those countries. The students also researched and wrote position papers that outlined the opinions of their countries on issues such as peace and security, human rights, economic development, food and hunger, globalization and the environment.
MHS student Matthew Le received an award for the best position paper addressing the topic of "Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications." Only 15 papers are selected for recognition from the more than 600 submitted.
Madeline Arnold and Meaghan Tomasiewicz represented Austria in an intensive two-day simulation of the Council of the European Union, in which the diverse member nations negotiated to address economic, security and environmental issues. The council also responded to a number of simulated crises that occurred during their meetings.
The Wisconsin High School Model U.N. celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, with presentations and panel discussions by distinguished alumni, including Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, State Rep. Cory Mason, and Ambassador John E. Lange, who headed the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, at the time of the embassay bombing there in 1998. He received the Distinguished Honor Award of the Department of State for "skilled leadership" and "extraordinary courage" in the aftermath of that tragedy. In his keynote address, Lange told the students they were taking the most important first step to international understanding by learning to see the world from the perspectives of other countries and cultures.
Monroe High School teachers Jerry Guth and Karen Fowdy serve as advisors to Model United Nations.
The students, along with 600 others, attended the Wisconsin High School Model United Nations on March 19-20 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. They discussed international issues, negotiated in blocs with other countries, and drafted, debated and passed resolutions in the General Assembly.
The MHS delegations prepared background papers on the countries they represented, Rwanda and Austria, to become familiar with the history, geography, culture and specific concerns of those countries. The students also researched and wrote position papers that outlined the opinions of their countries on issues such as peace and security, human rights, economic development, food and hunger, globalization and the environment.
MHS student Matthew Le received an award for the best position paper addressing the topic of "Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications." Only 15 papers are selected for recognition from the more than 600 submitted.
Madeline Arnold and Meaghan Tomasiewicz represented Austria in an intensive two-day simulation of the Council of the European Union, in which the diverse member nations negotiated to address economic, security and environmental issues. The council also responded to a number of simulated crises that occurred during their meetings.
The Wisconsin High School Model U.N. celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, with presentations and panel discussions by distinguished alumni, including Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, State Rep. Cory Mason, and Ambassador John E. Lange, who headed the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, at the time of the embassay bombing there in 1998. He received the Distinguished Honor Award of the Department of State for "skilled leadership" and "extraordinary courage" in the aftermath of that tragedy. In his keynote address, Lange told the students they were taking the most important first step to international understanding by learning to see the world from the perspectives of other countries and cultures.
Monroe High School teachers Jerry Guth and Karen Fowdy serve as advisors to Model United Nations.