Feb. 9, 2007 –- The V.I. Montessori School has been selected to participate in a very special forum in early March — the prestigious Model United Nations program in New York. However, the students are doing some very "unprestigious" work to get there.
To raise the funds they need for travel, they are holding a car wash Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Wendy's in Mandela Circle. "It's $10," says teacher Bridget Heersink, "and it's a bargain, a very special car wash."
The school was selected through the efforts of the Montessori Initiative and M: The Magazine for Montessori Families. The program involves young people in the study and discussion of global issues, along with encouraging development of research skills for writing, consensus building and public speaking.
Between 400 and 450 delegates from selected Montessori schools from throughout the mainland, the U. S. territories and Canada will participate.
In preparation for the event, each class has been assigned a country to represent at U.N. Council meetings. "The students have really been working hard," Heersink says. "They are writing position papers in fancy language and trying to decipher documents about resolutions and peacekeeping. It's high-level processing. It's good for them, even if they don't totally understand it all."
Heersink says she is learning, along with her students. "I've never coached a U.N. team before, so we are learning about it together," she says. "They actually go on the U.N. floor to make their presentations."
And the students have been earning money toward the project since last November. They have a hefty $20,000 goal. "We have been selling coffee and pastries a couple days a week," she says, "an arduous cottage business, for which we made about $1,500. We made a large-scale painting for Las Vegas night, and we cleared about $500." She shakes her head. "The parents, of course, have helped, but we really need to have more people donate."
Students Mohammad Hamed, Elijah Jones and Kelsey Morrison will represent the Model U.N. Security Council. Zachary Schulterbrandt, Zonelle Ottley and Julio Rhymer will represent UNESCO. Simonique Pearl-Edwards, Sarah Wheeler and Ariel Stolz will represent ECOCOC.
Spencer Winkles, Maddie Russell and Samantha Rosebury will represent the General Assembly.
To donate, or for further information, call 775-6360 or 776-5941.
Or just go out to Wendy's Saturday for a great car wash.
