Published in the September 27, 2018 edition

By JILLIAN STRING

NORTH READING — Model United Nations Advisor Sotirios Pintzopoulos, along with seniors Mike Tyrrell and Maddie Rutherford, attended the School Committee meeting Monday evening requesting approval to attend the Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN) conference on January 24-27.

According to Pintzopoulos, HMUN is a selective conference for which schools must apply each year.

NRHS has been accepted for the sixth consecutive year.

“It’s a unique opportunity for the students to research a country. The country we would be (representing) this year is Croatia. They would work on specific committees on a range of different topics: disarmament and nuclear security, humanitarian, social, economic, international monetary fund,” Pintzopoulos said.

Pintzopoulos noted that throughout the conference, students engage in roughly 21 hours of rigorous committee sessions discussing ways to solve world problems.

“It’s a great chance for them to work on their public speaking skills and self-confidence and learn about the world and meet students from all over the world,” Pintzopoulos stated.

Delegates representing all nations in the UN (around 2,000 students) come together to find solutions that are economically, socially, and politically viable.

Rutherford stated that she has attended the conference for the past two years, having researched Denmark and Uzbekistan, and participated in committees ranging from 70 to 200 students.

“The dynamic is just really interesting. It’s probably the highlight of my high school experience. I learned so much about international relations, politics, and cultures. It just brought me out of my North Reading bubble,” Rutherford commented.

Tyrrell, who has participated in Model UN since his freshman year, noted he has researched Belgium, Denmark, and Uzbekistan and participated in committee discussions ranging from 15 to 70 students.

“I’ve never been to Croatia, I know nobody from Croatia, but I get to research all about this country, their customs, their culture, but at the same time, I get to meet people from Croatia, from Russia, from Bulgaria, from Brazil, and experience their cultures first hand, so it’s that melding of both our research and actually meeting these people that makes Harvard Model United Nations such a unique experience,” Tyrrell said.

Pintzopoulos stated that a group of 14 to 18 students from the more than 30 members of the Model UN club at NRHS will be chosen to fill the various committee positions at the conference.

“We decide which students that have been coming to our meetings are showing the most promise, the most dedication, the higher degree of work ethic to prepare themselves for the event, because there is a substantial amount of background research that goes into it,” Pintzopoulos said.

The student team, along with their chaperones, will spend the weekend at the Sheraton in Boston, which is connected to the Prudential Center.

Pintzopoulos noted that for safety reasons, all bags are searched prior to leaving for the conference to ensure all materials comply with school rules.

He also stated that students will have a curfew and will remain in the hotel at the conference.

SC supportive of trip

School Committee members unanimously voted to approve the trip.

“Croatia is a highly interesting country given its history. It sounds great,” committee member Mel Webster said.

School Committee Chairman Janene Imbriano inquired as to the cost of the conference, as well as fundraising efforts by the club.

According to Pintzopoulos, hotel and registration costs total around $400.

Rutherford and Tyrrell added that the club holds bake sales and hosted a Fuddruckers night to raise money for the club as a whole. A portion of the funds are used to help offset the HMUN conference costs, but students who are selected to attend absorb some of the cost as well.

“We see a lot of different activities that are being done in North Reading, which is great. I think this is probably one of the most important ones that I’ve seen,” School Committee Vice Chairman Scott Buckley said. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity that’s here. Nobody wants to get involved (in politics). This is how we’re going to combat that.”