Middle School Girls Learn About Solving Global Issues Through Model UN

12/5/2022

Solving global issues requires research, critical thinking, proposal crafting, and challenging discussions, and our 7th and 8th graders are honing their diplomacy skills through Model United Nations. The YMCA Middle School Model UN Conference provides an opportunity for students to practice their debate and public speaking skills in a formal setting while encouraging them to find ways to join together as a community to solve current global issues.

Hutchison students in 7th and 8th grades recently participated in the YMCA Middle School Model UN Conference, a citywide event where students engage in civil discourse and open discussion of international issues through role play. Every year, we see how this conference expands the minds of our students and builds their confidence in their own voice, critical thinking, and teamwork.

For weeks, the girls have been researching issues in 18 assigned countries, including Armenia, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, and Austria. They prepared resolutions addressing problems each country faces and have put a lot of time into practicing presenting and defending their proposals.

Their hard work shows! The following students were named Outstanding Delegates, an award given within each General Assembly to the students who best represented their countries/delegations: Madden Culpepper '27, Kaitlyn Johnson '27, Eloise McDonald '28, and Rowan White ’28.

The following delegations were recognized as having Outstanding Resolutions:

Nigeria: Madden Culpepper '27, Kaitlyn Johnson '27, and Molly Piper Spear '27
Ethiopia: Shelby Faulkner '28, Ella Ford '28, Abby Livingston '28, and Katie Phan '28

These groups' resolutions made it to General Assembly:

Armenia: Sienna Blaylock '28, Emma Coe '28, Abby Kamm '28, and Eloise Milnor '28
Austria: Dottie Higginbotham '27 and Ella Ann Russell '27
Egypt: Harper Godwin '28, Lois Hill '28, Leia Sherman '28, and Emily Weber '28
Iraq: Maggie Mavar '28, Chloe Phillips '28, and Olivia Tashie '28
Somalia: Menaal Haris '28, Eman Kadiro '28, Jesslyn Majors '28, and Yilin Pan '28

The General Assembly passed resolutions by two groups:

Armenia: Sienna Blaylock '28, Emma Coe '28, Abby Kamm '28, and Eloise Milnor '28
Somalia: Menaal Haris '28, Eman Kadiro '28, Jesslyn Majors '28, and Yilin Pan '28

We are very proud of the entire Hutchison delegation! We know it's never too early to start thinking globally, and opportunities such as Model UN create unique and practical learning experiences for our girls.

Back

An Alumna Fosters Civic Engagement: Helping a Hutchison Student Gain Real-World Experience

Dabney Roberts Ring ’90 joined Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s staff in January 2016. She is currently a Senior Policy Officer and the Federal Relations Lead on Mayor Strickland’s intergovernmental team. She helped build an immersive internship for Hutchison senior Katie Frazer ’23.
Read More
Hutchison Seniors Aim to Address Mental Health & Learning Loss with Philanthropic Literacy Program

Each year, Hutchison seniors on the Philanthropic Literacy Board research community needs and decide how to allocate grant money to local nonprofits that focus on those issues.
Read More
Eighth Graders Hear Local Family's Holocaust Survival Story

As eighth graders study the Holocaust, they got a unique opportunity to hear from a Hutchison staff member and her father about her grandparents' story of survival.
Read More
Anna-Margaret Webber ’23 Signs to Play Lacrosse For Rollins College

Anna-Margaret Webber '23 became the latest member of the Hutchison lacrosse team to earn a college scholarship as she signed to play for Rollins College.
Read More
Sophomore Receives First Dot Jones Hammons Award for Responsible Citizenship

Natalie Alexander ’25 is the first recipient of the award. She was chosen because she exhibits characteristics the award’s namesake, Dot Jones Hammons ’76, has demonstrated throughout her life: intellectual curiosity, steadfastness, loyalty, kindness, and compassion.
Read More
Arabella Hall ’23 Will Take Golf Career to New Heights at Wheaton College

With encouragement from her coach and teammates, Arabella Hall ’23 signed to play golf at Wheaton College in Illinois.
Read More
Young Writers Earn 11 Scholastic Writing Awards

Congratulations to the nine Hutchison girls who earned a total of 11 Scholastic Writing Awards in the recent Alliance for Young Artists & Writers competition!
Read More
Tanya Crump Builds Strong Readers and Lifelong Learners in JK

Meet Tanya Crump, one of Hutchison's junior kindergarten teachers. She is a dynamic, creative teacher who brings her students' dreams to life in the classroom, from learning about running a business to hatching baby chicks.
Read More
Three Seniors Receive Indie Memphis Youth Filmmaking Mentorship

Kennedy Adeogba ’23, Lacy Williams ’23, and Nyla Johnson ’23 will make a short film with a $500 budget and receive mentoring from a professional filmmaker.
Read More
Elizabeth Hays Taylor ’94: A Leap of Faith Leads to a Distinguished Career

Elizabeth Hays Taylor ’94 moved to D.C. right out of college and worked for 10 years on the Hill before moving into advocacy for the private sector.
Read More
Hutchison Girls Win Big at 2023 Regional Scholastic Art Awards

Hutchison girls won 57 Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards this year, with 11 Gold Keys, 15 Silver Keys, and 31 Honorable Mentions. Several students also won special awards for their work.
Read More
Senior Fights Blood Shortage by Organizing Hutchison Blood Drive

Eleanor Merchant '23 wanted to find a way to help fight the national ongoing blood shortage, so she organized a blood drive at Hutchison. With her efforts over the past two years, blood donations at the Hutchison blood drive could have saved as many as 192 lives.
Read More
Allison Blankenship ’12: A View from the Hill

Allison Blankenship ’12 has committed her 10 years since graduating from Hutchison to working in the political arena, spending the last five years working in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Read More
Becca Coopwood ’27 Speaks Up for Her Peers As National Ambassador

Becca Coopwood ’27 serves as a student ambassador for The Social Institute, an organization that works to empower students to use social media and technology in a positive way. In her role, she helps produce blog posts from the perspective of students.
Read More
Maxine Engel ’21: Bigger Than a Basketball Player

If you want to see Coach Thomas Jones light up, ask him about Maxine Engel ’21 and her journey from a rising ninth grader with a broken leg to a senior walking away as a State Champion. “You know how most coaches say, ‘I helped a kid?’ Well, she helped me. Helped me grow as a coach.
Read More
Seniors Reflect on Behind-the-Scenes Tour of New Tom Lee Park

Seniors had a lot to say about the Tom Lee Park redevelopment after a recent Rogers Scholars excursion. And that's the point of these forays into the community. “They keep us aware of what is happening in our city, ultimately making us more well-rounded citizens,” said Emma Couch ’23.
Read More
Katie Davis Aims to Build Confidence in Her Girls

Meet Katie Davis, one of Hutchison's third grade teachers. Ms. Davis enjoys taking on a challenge in the classroom and the freedom to follow her students' interests. She encourages her students to become lifelong learners.
Read More
Antonella Lejwa ’23 Named National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar

The College Board has named Antonella Lejwa ’23 a National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar, an honor reserved for a select number of outstanding students. She has proven herself through academic achievement and various extracurricular activities.
Read More
Hutchison Math Teacher, National Expert in Illustrative Math, Explains the IM Advantage in Classroom

Middle school teacher Joe Koelsch loves quadratic equations like only a math teacher can. He wants his students to spend time understanding the equations before they rush to solve them. Koelsch, a national expert in Illustrative Math (IM), wrote in a leading blog for educators that IM’s focus on understanding processes, not just the pursuit of a right answer, can be a game-changer for math students.
Read More
Middle School Girls Learn About Solving Global Issues Through Model UN

Solving global issues requires research, critical thinking, proposal crafting, and challenging discussions, and our 7th and 8th graders are honing their diplomacy skills through Model United Nations. The YMCA Middle School Model UN Conference provides an opportunity for students to practice their debate and public speaking skills in a formal setting while encouraging them to find ways to join together as a community to solve current global issues.
Read More