For over thirty years, the Lee Marcus Invitational Sewanhaka Intra-District Model United Nations Conference, otherwise known as SIDMUN, has provided a platform for students across the district to debate global issues, develop leadership skills and forge bonds through diplomacy. On Saturday, April 5, this year’s conference was hosted at Elmont Memorial High School, bringing together delegates from all five schools in the district for a day of rigorous debate, international perspective-building and collaborative solutions.

“Hosting SIDMUN this year was both challenging and rewarding,” Secretary-General Julia Kim said. “It was gratifying to see students from across the district coming together to come up with global solutions. This is my first time handling the conference from a staff perspective—as a three time SIDMUN delegate, I know exactly how hard you have to work during those seven hours. I am grateful to the rest of the staff and all of the delegates that participated this year.”

SIDMUN XXXI featured a wide range of pressing global topics. The Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee tackled state responsibilities in granting asylum and protecting refugees. DISEC discussed the growing threat of cyber warfare, while UNICEF addressed global disparities in childhood immunization. The World Meteorological Organization worked on monitoring and predicting natural disasters, and the United Nations Security Council focused on the 2011 Tunisian Revolution.

Behind every successful delegate is weeks of preparation, and as NHP MUN’s adviser, Mr. Novak always says, “Success isn’t accidental.” NHP MUN began preparing for SIDMUN early in the semester, guiding both experienced and new delegates through research, public speaking and resolution writing. 

“SIDMUN is the first taste of what debating and away conferences look like for the 9th grade class. It is such a great event that helps showcase all the hard work and effort the 9th graders have put into their topics. One of the greatest things about SIDMUN is to see the 9th graders now working side by side with our upperclassmen on topics that have plagued society for too long,“ Model UN adviser Mr. Novak said. 

While centered on the 2011 Tunisian Revolution, the UNSC crisis debate took several fictional turns, sparking committee-wide debates on everything from Ben Ali & Jerry’s ice cream protest group to a falafel uprising.

“As usual, SIDMUN’s crisis debate was chaotic,” junior Arvin Ghai said. “Though the issue at hand was the 2011 Tunisian Revolution, the Security Council also took part in discussions of a falafel uprising, Adele’s world tour, and Michelle and Barack Obama’s fictional divorce. The backroom staff of the Security Council made this debate a lot of fun and made sure our crisis updates ran smoothly.”

“Running the backroom was a bit stressful because everything just happened so rapidly, but it was also really fun to handle everyone’s arcs and see their creativity,” backroom chair Daniel Zekthi said.

“Security Council was definitely hard but I liked how silly the arcs delegates came up with,” Under Secretary-General Rachel Jacob said. 

At the end of the conference, several NHP delegates were recognized with awards for their outstanding contributions. 

DISEC 

Honorable – Vedant Patel and Bella Vyas (Singapore)

Honorable – Alan Aphraim and Gunbir Hanjra (Uruguay)

Honorable – Leah Del Orbe and Helai Eren (Pakistan)

Honorable – Rocco Lipari and Zarif Abrar (Lebanon)

Honorable – Gavin Mohabir and Shriyan Suwah (Italy)

Outstanding – Darsh Mirchandani and Theodora Doukas (China)

Best – Jacob Boldur and Aditi Parikh (Algeria)

SOCHUM

Best Novice – Alayna Vyas and Michelina Ragusa (Madagascar)

Honorable – Anjali Kamdar and Phoebe Lu (Pakistan)

Honorable – Allison Sanassi and Sharon Xiao (Algeria)

Honorable – Liam Cabildo and Ismael El Mohtadi (China)

Honorable – Eaiden Joseph and Joseph Ren (Singapore)

Honorable – Nailah Islam and Safiya Dar (Denmark)

Outstanding – Bea Navarro and Zahra Nuha (Lebanon)

Best – Carla Yanez-Delgado and Keith Luu (Venezuela)

WMO

Best Novice – Ashreet Rajput and Abel George (Singapore)

Honorable – Brian Zhang and Ethan Kim (China)

Honorable – Mason Berardelli and Rehan Farooq (Lebanon)

Honorable – Jay Shah and Shane Varghese (Venezuela)

Outstanding – Ariana Muhammad and Kiana LaGrasta (Pakistan)

Best – Krish Singh (Madagascar)

UNICEF 

Honorable – Hedia Ninan and Sania Naqvi (Uruguay)

Honorable – Carmela Drossman-Schlossberg and Sarah Chummar (Madagascar)

Honorable – Dominic Cyril and Aileen Philip (Singapore)

Honorable – Hailey Sanassi and Tara George (Italy)

Outstanding – Nikita Bansal and Zahra Mazkur (Trinidad and Tobago)

Outstanding – Hima Binu and Sanjna Nischal (Lebanon)

UNSC 

Outstanding – Arvin Ghai and Anirudh Arvind (Lebanon)

Best – Nyelle Sarreal and Dhara Patel (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 

Marion Brzozowski Best Position Paper: Darsh Mirchandani and Theodora Doukas (China) 

After a long day of intense debate and diplomatic negotiations, NHP’s Model UN team concluded SIDMUN with a well-earned celebration, and a Chipotle fundraiser. Members gathered at the restaurant to unwind, refuel and participate in a friendly club competition: the delegate who placed the largest order earned the honor of slapping Mr. Novak with a burrito.

SIDMUN continues to be a hallmark experience for Model UN members in the district. It is where first-time delegates transform into confident public speakers and where seasoned leaders leave a legacy. Through diplomacy, discussion and dedication, NHP’s Model UN team once again demonstrated its passion for engaging with the world, and each other.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Suha Tasfia

Kiana LaGrasta and Ariana Muhammad showcase the award they received at SIDMUN.