Published Tuesday, April 15, 2008 11:56 AM
Updated Tuesday, April 15, 2008 11:57 AM

 

Pinewood Model UN Team takes the cup

The Model United Nations Program at Pinewood Preparatory School competed in the prestigious Winthrop Model United Nations Conference held at Winthrop University April 2nd through 4th, 2008.  The Winthrop Model United Nations Conference is the most established United Nations Conference of its type held in the United States.  With schools like Northwestern High, Fort Mill High, Rock Hill High, Stratford, and Sumter High competing, the Winthrop Model United Nations draws teams from all over South Carolina and North Carolina. The Model United Nations Program at Pinewood Preparatory School represented the countries of Ghana, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sierra Leone.  Pinewood students represented these countries in the Political-Security Committee, the Legal Committee, the Social-Humanitarian Committee, the African Union, and the Security Council and debated some of the major issues confronting the world community today.

This year’s teams had an excellent showing as evidenced by securing four individual delegate awards as well as the top delegation award offered at the Winthrop Model United Nations Conference.  All four individual delegate award winners came from the students representing Ghana, these include Patrick Hockl, Katie Iannace, Aris Hanchard, and Matt Londergan.  Individual delegates are awarded in committees based on their ability to debate, represent the interests of their country, and work in cooperation with other delegates.  With that being said the Pinewood students representing Ghana secured the top delegation award, the Winthrop Cup, for the delegation that is judged as being the best all around.  Winning the Winthrop Cup is a tremendous achievement for a high school’s delegation considering the tough competition.  Not only did the Pinewood students represent Ghana perform with an obvious high degree of skill, the other Pinewood students performed in an exemplary fashion as well.  Kyle Smith, Blake Wood, Brittany Brunson, Paige Sharkey, Laura Kate Gamble, Tina Thomas, Austin Shepard, and Dustin Pfaehler all exhibited tremendous debating skill and represented their delegations with distinction.

The Winthrop Competition was the final Model United Nations Competition for the 2007-2008 school year.  The Model United Nations Program at Pinewood Preparatory School competed in the McGill Secondary School Symposium held in November in Montreal, Canada, the Trident Technical College Competition held in February and March, and finally the Winthrop Competition in April.  The program achieved 10 individual delegate awards and the most prestigious of delegation awards, the Winthrop Cup.  The students represented Pinewood and themselves with great distinction this competition season.  In four years of competition, the Model United Nations Program at Pinewood Preparatory School has achieved 24 individual delegate awards and the Winthrop Cup - a mark of the consistent excellence on the part of the Pinewood students who participated and the diligent efforts of their advisors, Jim Lewis and Lee Morand.