Model UN students tackle the issues

Greenhills participants gather around Grizz, the Oakland University mascot, at a Model UN gathering.

Greenhills was well-represented among more than 200 students from 16 schools who recently participated in Oakland University’s Model UN Conference. As delegates from China (and one from Paraguay), Greenhills students distinguished themselves by enthusiastically debating and collaborating with other delegates to craft innovative solutions to global issues.

Hailey Mandel and Bonnie Liu each earned the prestigious Gavel Award for their zealous representation of China on the “future” and “present” UN Security Councils.

A few of the ideas bandied about at the gathering, according to faculty sponsor and history teacher Jenna Goldenberg:

• Bella Pryor co-authored a migrant workers’ rights resolution, which passed with the overwhelming support of the UN Human Rights Council (despite staunch disagreement about the proper pronunciation of Qatar).
• Bonnie Liu, representing China, managed to remain persuasive, professional and passionate about China’s position on Syria and the South China Sea despite multiple game-changing “crisis news updates” that focused on her country’s military aggression.
• Hailey Mandel managed to convince most of the Security Council that authorizing China to unilaterally invade North Korea and secure its nuclear weapons was a brilliant idea. 
• Jessica Norris had a role in the heated debates in the UN Economic and Financial Committee over preserving countries’ national sovereignty while ensuring that all people have secure access to food.
• Andy Xie (our delegate from Paraguay) found himself allied with fellow Gryphon Bella Pryor, representing China, to launch a human rights social media campaign, which was unfortunately thwarted when a “crisis news update” announced that China had banned all social media.
• Nikhil Chamarathi drafted a resolution with the Russian delegate that aimed to protect the cultural heritage of immigrants and indigenous populations by directing countries to recognize multiple languages.