Victor Diaz (left) portrays a CIA operative when discussing issues with fellow students Akshay Gupta
and Olivia Jaspers
BREWSTER – History was made in Putnam Saturday when the county’s first ever Model UN Conference was held at Brewster High School. Students enrolled in the school’s United Nations Club hosted the day-long event that was attended by students from the Rye, Edgemont, White Plains and Urusline school districts in Westchester.
Tom Mullane, a Brewster social studies teacher and advisor to the club, greeted the 75 students.
For the past three years, the local club has been planning for a local UN conference. In previous years, Brewster students experienced a once in a lifetime experience by attending the prestigious Columbia Model UN Conference and Exposition in Manhattan.
The event held on the Columbia University campus attracted teens from around the globe with Brewster the only American public high school participating. A total of 750 students representing 15 countries including Canada, Guatemala and China were in attendance.
On Saturday, delegates from the area schools discussed issues ranging from Berlin in the late 19th century to the Central Intelligence Agency as well as the Association of Southeastern Asian Nations.
Mullane said while the students were “basically play-acting, much historical research went into their discussions.”
Victor Diaz, president of the Brewster High School Model UN Club, noted the conference planning began last May. “It has been amazing having the schools join together like this by participating in a variety of scenarios.”
Brewster High School’s Model UN team is dedicated to fundraising and reaching out to donors so that they may continue to represent their school at the conference next year as well as attending other global conferences in the future.
