Cathedral Catholic’s Model United Nations (MUN) is a political debate club that discusses global issues both inside and outside of school. Through realistic simulation of the United Nations, students learn to debate current issues by making speeches, drafting resolutions, negotiating, and resolving conflicts

Each member of the club is assigned a country and researches a designated topic for a particular committee. Members then debate, deliberate, and try to develop resolutions to global issues. According to Club Co-President, senior Mallory Wahl, MUN members learn debating skills and become in-tune with current global events and issues.

According to Mallory, students who want to be informed about global conflicts should join the club. Also, she said, it is a great addition to student resumes and it makes for a fun and memorable high school experience.

Mallory said, “We are bright, self-motivated students who enjoy researching, public speaking, and writing.”

Mallory, who leads the club along with seniors Erin Wolkenstein and Anna Dornisch, has participated in MUN since her freshman year at Cathedral. She says she has enjoyed the unique groups of people that participate every year.

Currently, there are about forty people actively involved in Cathedral’s Model United Nations. The club meets every other Thursday in history teacher Mr. Don DeAngelo’s room in Assisi Hall. The lunchtime meetings include discussions about upcoming conferences and training in skills required to perform well at these conferences.

Throughout the year, local Model United Nations chapters participate in multiple conferences. During a conference, participants employ a variety of communication and critical thinking skills in order to represent the policies of their country.

This year’s conferences will be held in New York, Mission Viejo, UCSD, and High Tech High. For every conference, with the exception of New York for which students must have attended at least two prior conferences, all members, new and old, are welcome. According to Mallory, leaders try their best to include free time, sight-seeing, shopping, and eating during the trips.

The Model United Nations of the 2009-2010 school year attended a conference at UC Berkeley. Mallory said, “It was amazing to basically live on a college campus and experience a different way of life…we had a delegate dance that made for some exciting memories.”