By Shawn Hogendorf, Correspondent 

On May 1 a group of four Prior Lake High School students headed north to spend the weekend as Model United Nations’ ambassadors during the Mock United Nations conference at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Canada.

High school sophomore Kia Boussiere, junior David Moreno and seniors Jessie Patterson and Sarah Gontarek joined high schools students from Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Minnesota, North Dakota and North Carolina to learn how resolutions are passed in the United Nations.A group of four Prior Lake High
School students attended the Mock
United Nations conference in
Winnipeg, Canada. From left, Dave
Panetti, junior David Moreno,
sophomore Kia Boussiere, seniors
Jessie Patterson and Sarah
Gontarek and Eric Serbus.

The four students were identified by their social studies teachers as critical and global thinkers and were then asked to apply for one of the four spots on the trip.

Social studies teachers Dave Panetti and Eric Serbus reviewed the applications and conducted formal interviews to select the participants.

Once the students were selected, they were assigned countries they would represent during the Mock United Nations conference. Boussiere and Patterson represented France and Moreno and Gontarek represented Australia.

The Rotary Club and the University created four resolutions based on real United Nations resolutions and sent the resolutions to the students two months in advance so they could research their countries perspective on the various issues.

The students also spent time preparing speeches, learning how to use Robert’s Rules of Order and identifying their countries positions on the resolutions.

Moreno and Gontarek researched Australian culture and presented on a United Nations resolution dealing with the treatment of Australia’s native people.

“It was hard at first because we had to debate the issues on behalf of the country we represented,” Moreno said. “I had to leave my beliefs at the door and think like an Australian after researching their culture and history.”

Boussiere and Patterson worked on a resolution regarding the Republic of Congo.

Patterson also said it was challenging to think like a French person, but she said it was a bit easier than people who represented other countries, because France has so many beliefs similar to Americans.

“As part of this event I actually got to see how the United Nations works and be a part of it,” Patterson said. “I really had the opportunity to see how much work and how difficult it is to think of a resolution amendment, debate it and get other countries with different viewpoints to agree.”

Both Moreno and Patterson said they enjoyed being a part of the Mock United Nations and had the chance to meet a lot of students.

“We got the chance to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and see how the United Nations actually works,” Patterson said. “I loved it.”

Students gain many invaluable experiences at the assembly, Serbus said.

First, they get to experience meaningful collaboration with their peers, Serbus said. On many occasions, students must form coalitions with other delegations in order to pass amendments or resolutions, he said.

“Students quickly learn the importance of negotiation and compromise,” Serbus said. “They also see first hand the promise and limitations of the United Nations.”

Students work hard on promoting and passing resolutions that are written to make positive changes in the world, but at the same time they experience the frustrations that come with the United Nation's limited ability to enforce many of their resolutions, Serbus said.

“I cannot think of a better way to teach students about global citizenship than by taking them to Model United Nations Assembly,” he said.

 Shawn Hogendorf can be reached at shogendorf@swpub.com.