France top country as C-Falls does well at model UN

Columbia Falls High School’s Model United Nations team recently returned from the 53rd annual Montana Model United Nations Conference at the University of Montana in Missoula.

Columbia Falls went up against 380 students from 17 Montana and Idaho high schools.

At Model UN conferences, students participate in simulations of United Nations sessions, debating, negotiating, caucusing, drafting, and voting on resolutions that address world problems.

Columbia Falls students represented France, the Philippines, Cuba, Libya, Latvia and Ecuador.

Each student participated in one of five committees: International Organization for Migration, General Assembly First Committee (security issues), General Assembly Second Committee (economic and financial), General Assembly Third Committee (social, cultural, and humanitarian), and Security Council.

With a team of 18 (one senior, 6 juniors, 5 sophomores, 6 freshmen), nine of whom were first-time attendees, Columbia Falls had a great showing.

There are three categories of awards: honorable (top 20 percent), distinguished (top 10 percent), and outstanding (top 5 percent).

The following Columbia Falls students won awards:

Outstanding Country Award: France (Sam Lovering, Shyane Williams, Tre Finley, Laney Conger, Maggie McKeon)

Delegate Awards: GA2: Distinguished Delegate Tre Finley; GA3: Honorable Delegate Aiden Judge,; Distinguished Delegates Laney Conger and Chloe Coberly; Security Council: Honorable Delegate Sam Lovering

Position Paper Awards, Honorable: Maggie McKeon, Griffin Conger, Noah Golan, Tre Finley.

Other students attending the conference included Ian McKenzie, Raphe Salmon, Winslow Nichols, Calie Jo Johnson, Zachary Lovering, Ave’ McDonald, JJ Boles, Julia Martin, Emma Cooley, and Grant Miller.

Columbia Falls prepared for the conference under the direction of Tara Norick and Jenny Lovering.