Written by Brennan Kajewski
The Algona Model UN team has achieved a lot so far this year. Model UN is, in essence, a live action roleplay as the United Nations. They discuss a variety of international issues from the perspective of a selected country or countries. The goal of this practice is to come up with a cooperative and mutually beneficial solution to these problems, hopefully with more efficiency than the real United Nations.
Over this past fall, Model UN competed in both Regional and State competitions. In late September, specifically the twenty-sixth, the team traveled to Mason City for Regionals. There, they discussed and debated the topics of transnational crime and humanitarian aid. They were very impressive; seven of the eight students who attended from AHS earned awards: Waverly Espe, Emerson Waltz, Maximo Mendoza-Partida, Flynn McCann, Joseph Struecker, Hannah Severson, and Evie Guenther.
They subsequently went to Des Moines November sixth and seventh to compete at State. In the capitol building itself, they discussed the very same topics, this time surrounded by world renowned experts on the topics. Once again, teammember Waverly Espe was given the Outstanding Delegate Award that only went to eight people throughout the whole state.
Next week, the team is participating in an international competition against students from Beijing. January twenty-ninth and thirtieth, the team is going to Muscatine, Iowa. They will go head to head and nose to nose with students from what some call Iowa’s Sister State, Beijing and the surrounding Hebei province. The competition features a hundred Iowans and a hundred Chinese. Prominent Model UN participant, Joseph Struecker, said of the event, “I’m excited to show them a little bit of America and experience a little bit of their culture as well.”