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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sandpoint High’s United Nations class seeking travel funds

Students plan to go to New York for session at actual U.N.

The Sandpoint High School Model United Nations class poses for a snapshot. Courtesy of Sandpoint High School (Courtesy of Sandpoint High School / The Spokesman-Review)
Patty Hutchens Correspondent

Sandpoint may be a world away both geographically and economically from many countries around the globe, but students in Sandpoint High School’s Model United Nations class are making it their mission to learn all they can about those governments that differ from the U.S. both politically and economically.

In its first year at Sandpoint High School, the internationally recognized Model United Nations class has already proven to be one of the more popular courses.

“The response was much larger than I anticipated,” said Sandpoint teacher Debbie Smith, who was the teacher adviser for students attending Model United Nations Conferences when she taught in California. “Fifty kids signed up and our original plan was to have only 20 for the first year.”

Instead, they narrowed it down to 28 students from the sophomore, junior and senior classes.

The course is unique in that it incorporates subjects such as history, geography, government and economics, while developing skills such as negotiation, public speaking, diplomacy and debate.

The 28 students will spend the next several months preparing to attend a Model U.N. conference in New York City in the spring. The conference draws students from all 50 states and around the globe. While in New York City they will address international issues including terrorism, the control of atomic weapons, poverty, and issues related to international trade.

The class applied and was accepted to the conference and is awaiting its country assignment. Students focus their research on their assigned country, preparing to debate and defend certain issues.

On their application, they listed countries that interested them and hope that they will be granted their request. Because of their class size they hope they will be assigned two countries instead of just one.

“The bigger countries have more delegates,” said Sandpoint High School senior Casey Dunn, who adds that his class requested Sudan and United Arab Emirates. “We wanted to have smaller countries that had a lot going on.”

Within the delegates for an assigned country there will be committees on topics such as foreign policy and domestic issues.

“We will spend two days of the conference at the hotel and the other we will be at the actual United Nations building,” Dunn said.

Part of the challenge has been to raise the funds for the New York trip. Smith wrote for and was awarded a grant from the Panhandle Alliance For Education, but even with the $16,000 grant, the students still must raise another $20,000 to cover the cost of the trip for all 28 students and three chaperons.

“A lot of businesses want to donate, but can’t,” said Sandpoint High School junior Mikka Nostdahl, who points out that he and his classmates are witnessing firsthand the difficult financial times smaller businesses are undergoing. While supportive of their program and eager to help, the business community cannot offer their financial assistance at the level they would like to.

Smith said that after applying the money from the grant, the total additional cost for each student is $715. The students have spent the last several weekends organizing and working at fundraisers. Dunn said the donations are an investment in the future. Students plan to return to Sandpoint and present what they have learned to kids at elementary schools and to the community as a whole.

Although they have yet to reach their fundraising goal, the students have sharpened their presentation and public speaking skills by going out into the community seeking sponsorships.

“It (solicitation of businesses) served a dual purpose,” said Dunn. “We did fundraising but it also prepared us better for speaking in front of people.”

Smith agrees and said even if the students may not receive a donation from a particular business they are still able to educate the community on the new program.

“We are building relationships with the community and letting them know what it (the course) is about,” said Smith. “This is a program that needs community support to succeed.”

While fundraising has taken up a lot of the students’ time, they have also focused on current events and the impact they have on the world.

“Each week we turn in a reflection of something we have read in the newspaper,” said Nostdahl, who has written papers about the conflict between Russia and the Republic of Georgia as well as the United Nations mission in Congo.

“The newspaper is our textbook,” Dunn added.

Both Nostdahl and Dunn view the Model United Nations course as an opportunity to broaden their knowledge of a world that is far away from the seclusion of North Idaho.

“Living here in Sandpoint you don’t see a lot,” said Dunn, adding that the notoriety of the program will also add a great deal to one’s résumé when applying at competitive colleges.

“In Idaho we are so secluded from everything,” Nostdahl said. “It’s a good way to learn more about the world.”

Dunn was in Smith’s Advanced Placement History class last year and enjoyed the debates they had on a variety of topics. His experience in that class led him to sign up for the United Nations course.

“It’s always interesting to listen to other people’s points of view,” said Dunn. “Our class is a pretty diverse group and we will all contribute something.”

Contact correspondent Patty Hutchens by e-mail at pattyhutchens@yahoo.com.