Model UN Students Broaden Their Horizons

Renee Madigan, one of the advisers of the Model United Nations team at , started her Model UN experience a few years ago in the same chairs that her club members now sit in.

“I know the positive experiences I took from it and knew what to expect,” Madigan said, referring to researching after school and debating current events before school.

To become part of the team, students sign up for an elective class on top of their course work, they then compete in the competition and are then selected to be on the team, explained adviser Bernard Laugen.

Laugen described the group as student-centered with upperclassmen chairing the debates and helping to train the younger students. Some of the topics that come up in these discussions include reintegrating refugees and reorganizing land borders, Madigan explained.

One February morning when New Hyde Park Patch observed the class, students were debating nuclear disarmament. 

“It’s really rewarding to watch,” Laugen said, noting that students become more confident and then help others in the class.

Many of the students also find the class and team rewarding for various reasons.

“It opens up your perspective on how you see the world,” said senior Paige Sferrazza, a member of the team. “There are so many problems.”

Ali Eyvid, a sophomore in the class, said, “I should have taken this last year. I’ve had great experiences and I get to see what other countries are going through.”

The team recently took the prize of best overall delegation at the American University competition.

The team’s next competition is the district-wide one in the beginning of April.