Students at Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools scooped a top award at a Model United Nations (MUN) Conference in Cardiff.
The Monmouth students picked up the ‘Best High School Delegation’ honour, beating Cardiff Sixth Form College and many others in the process.
Ollie E and Ollie L, both pupils at Monmouth School for Boys, also received awards for being one of the best delegates in their committee.
It has given the Monmouth students a lot of confidence and they are planning to submit a resolution to the United Nations as part of the UNHCR Refugee Challenge.
Run by Cardiff University, the three-day conference attracted delegates from a range of UK schools and universities as well as schools from the Netherlands, France, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Monmouth had a delegation of 30 students from years 9 to 12 who took on the responsibility of representing a country in various committees from the UN Security Council to the Disarmament Committee.
Year 11 pupil, Lolah, from Monmouth School for Girls, represented China in the DISEC (Disarmament and International Security) committee and discussed nuclear proliferation and military arms in the Middle-East.
“It was an amazing opportunity that was informative, exciting and has sparked an interest in politics for me,” said Lolah.
“To receive the award for the most outstanding high school was a major achievement for us because our Model United Nations was the most novice at the conference, having only started in September.”
Ms Kate Bourne, an English and Drama teacher at Monmouth School for Girls, has established the students’ Model United Nations club.
She said: “The Model UN equips our students with mediation, analytical and leadership skills, while stressing cosmopolitan values and the interdependence of the modern world.
“MUN hopes to foster future world leaders who will face global challenges with a spirit of international cooperation.”
Ms Bourne added: “It was an absolute delight to take a group of our students to the conference.
“They achieved an extraordinary result and I am so proud of the way they threw themselves into things.
“There is a huge enthusiasm now for MUN and we shall be debating the climate crisis and displacement in our meetings after half-term.”
