On Saturday, December 12, Dana Hall’s Model UN team attended their first competition of the year at St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, Mass. Students from seven schools attended the one-day conference to debate and discuss issues including debt in the developing world, global infectious disease and assessing and addressing the rising threat of North Korea.

At the competition, Dana Hall was one of the only schools to have one of their resolutions pass. The Dana team also earned four awards, more than any other school at the conference. Outstanding Delegate awards went to C. Blakelock ’10, Z. Stanley-Lockman ’10 and M. Mao ’12, while the Best Delegate Award was given to K. Wipperfeld ’10.

“I am always struck by the high level of commitment, dedication and professionalism the Dana Hall girls bring to conferences,” said Social Studies teacher and Model UN advisor Heather Panahi. “This is especially impressive when one takes into consideration that all preparation and research is done outside of the classroom on their own time. It is a privilege to coach such an awesome bunch of girls. They are an inspiration to me as a teacher, as a mother, and as a global citizen.”