Sheridan High School’s Model United Nations (MUN) club is preparing for the upcoming Teton County Model UN conference,  which will be held Nov. 19-20 in Jackson Hole, Wyo. This meeting will be sponsored by InterConnections 21, a non-profit organization that creates programs to educate students and community members about global issues and help solve them.

  The conference will be held in Jackson Hole, where students from around the U.S. will come to discuss and find resolutions to pressing world issues. The conflicts will be debated, with several different opinions, as each student represents a different country’s viewpoint.

“Last year I represented Sweden at the Denver Conference,” Sophomore Susie Wold said. “Our topic was about resolving the conflicts between Sudan and South Sudan. Sweden is a neutral country, so I went into the discussion with an open mind.”

Students in MUN are encouraged to take on the persona of their country in order to better represent an actual UN conference. “South Sudan, on the other hand, was very opposed to any resolutions that didn’t revolve around directly benefiting their country. They also kept bringing up the fact that Sudan was ‘against them’. It’s fun getting to take the viewpoint of another country especially if they have power or are disagreeable.”

As the club starts its second year at SHS, it’s beginning with several new members. About ten freshmen, accompanied by a few sophomores and juniors, attended the meeting last Friday. These new members will be joining several of the students who returned to MUN this year. The second year students will be applying for advanced conferences, such as a conference in New York this year. To secure a spot in the New York conference, students will have to write and submit an essay to IC21 explaining why they should participate in the conference.

  “MUN develops the holistic student,” said Ryan Metcalf, world history teacher and adviser of the club. “Students learn to research effectively, engage in proactive debate, and devise solutions to real world problems. It’s considered one of the top clubs colleges like to see on students’ applications because it shows they have a wide variety of skills.”

  The club also hopes to take a trip to Vancouver, Canada this year. Students’ eligibility for going on trips will be based on how much fund money they can raise. Fundraising for the upcoming trips will take place in the following months as students sell baked goods at the concessions booth in the commons.

  Meetings for the Model United Nations club are held at 7:30 on Fridays in Ryan Metcalf’s, room number C235. New members are welcome to join.