Submitted photo Members of the Fredonia Model UN team pose for a photo at Gannon University in Erie, Pa.

This year, nearly 50 Fredonia High School students attended the weekly meetings, and more than 40 participated in the 69th Annual Gannon University Model United Nations Conference.

Fredonia represented 16 countries across five different committees.

Each delegation wrote a position paper, and this year we submitted 16 position papers. The delegation representing Yemen (Greta Frerichs, Joella Bauza, and Angelina May) position paper came in second place. The Syrian delegation (Emerson Bramer, Gigi Gullo, and Haley Zadzilka) position paper came in third place.

Only three awards are given in this category.

This is a major achievement. This year we faced very challenging paper assignments; both groups wrote about their countries’ approaches to ocean acidification. Since the first week of school, the Model UN team has stayed after school every Friday to work on their position papers. Their dedication has been exceptional and their hard work has certainly paid off.

Several Fredonia students were recognized for their outstanding effort in representing their countries at the conference. In addition to being recognized for their position paper, Greta Frerichs, Joella Bauza, and Angelina May were recognized as best delegate runners-up representing Yemen. Fred Gullo and Lauren Sercu were awarded honorable mention and an excellent ranking representing St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Ava Hartung, Andrew Cowan, and Luca Gullo won BEST delegate awards for their work representing China. This was a major accomplishment, as it was the first time Ava, Andrew, and Luca attended a Model UN conference.

Gannon added a new committee this year, the Press Corp Students developed a pen name, attended a committee meeting, posted updates on social media, and wrote articles. Raena Beckley won one of the three inaugural awards for this committee. She was recognized for her excellent journalism skills. A big thank you to Lisa Reinhardt who attended the conference this year. Her expertise in journalism was a welcomed addition to the advising team.

Finally, FHS won third place for Overall Best Delegation. This award recognized the work of all the students who attend the weekly meetings here at school and performed at their best at the Conference.

On behalf of Tom Donovan and myself, another thank you to Reinhardt and everyone who supports this organization. We observed some great things this season. Several students took on mentorship roles and worked with new members, while others improved and became more confident in their speaking and writing abilities.

Overall, it was a great year!

Patrick Newell is a Fredonia High School social studies teacher.