On January 30, 10 students from Farragut participated in the 13th Annual GatorMUN Conference, the yearly conference of the University of Florida Model United Nations organization that brings together high school students from Florida and Georgia to discuss international issues. Modeled after the United Nations, GatorMUN prides itself on providing “a learning experience unlike any other in that it breaks from the traditional classroom setting to transform high school students into global experts.”

The students who made the trip were:

Michael Cooney ‘16
Sasha DeSilva ‘16
George Dyche ‘16
Johnelle Young ‘16
Kyndal Olander ‘17
Shawn Simon ‘17
Evan Schlifstein ‘19
Bianca DeSilva ‘20
Zachary Plotkin ‘20
Fernando Robalino ‘20

“This was the first year we sent a team and it was a fantastic opportunity for our students,” said Upper School History teacher Mark Panuthos, who served as advisor for the Farragut group. “They worked with students from other schools across Florida and Georgia, and studied some of the more challenging and complex issues confronting our burgeoning population, and worked to write proposals and reach agreements through various councils.”

GatorMUN focuses on offering specialized committees within the UN system allowing delegates to experience committees not always offered at Model United Nations conferences. For the weekend, students acted as delegates during international forums addressing complex global issues such as preventing the spread of diseases, defending human rights, and upholding justice in the international system.

“It was a great experience to see how parliamentary procedure works, and how the UN itself works,” Kyndal said. “It allowed me to interact with some incredible students from across the region and gave me the opportunity to network, as well as participate in activities that will most definitely help me in my future endeavors.”