The middle and high school students of St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju (SJA Jeju) attended a Model United Nations (MUN) conference held at SJAJeju, from November 22-23. SJA Jeju had two delegates medal (Joey Oh, G8 / Sarah Yoo, G10) in their respective committee. In addition, Ji Soo Moon (G7) was given a verbal commendation and high marks for his work at his first conference.

Model United Nations (MUN) is an after school activity open to grades 7-12 at SJA Jeju. It is similar to a debate club, except that students represent countries. The format of conferences is that "delegates" of each country negotiate with each other and try to pass resolutions concerning a problem facing their committee such as access to clean water, lowering unemployment, de-escalating conflicts, etc. MUN builds confidence, fosters cooperation, and prepares the leaders of tomorrow. As such public speaking and detailed report writing are skills we look to develop.

SJA Jeju's MUN club will attend two upcoming conferences in 19-20 academic year:

• GECMUN held on Jeju on February 14-15
• TASMUN held in Taipei on April 18-19

Ji Soo Moon, 7th grader at SJA Jeju said, "I think MUN is one of the few opportunities to encounter someone new, share thoughts with others, have encouraging discussion, get into a conflict, and cooperate with others."

Mr. Jonathan Sceerey, a middle school social studies teacher at SJA Jeju said, "Our MUN program is good and getting better, Our students are getting a great taste for working in the real world."