On Thursday, January 28, Dana Hall’s Model UN team traveled to Philadelphia to compete in the University of Pennsylvania Ivy League Model UN Invitational. The four-day international conference had more than 2,200 students from nine countries and 103 schools participate.  

The students were judged on a number of criteria including their adherence to national policy, cooperation with others, speaking in formal debate and the quality of written work on individual position papers as well as working papers and resolutions. The Dana team had the difficult task of representing the Palestinian Authority, a nation with no voting rights in the UN. Even with this challenge, the team wrote and secured the passage of several resolutions. 

Dana Hall took home its first team award from the Invitational, placing first in their division and gaining recognition in six out of the eight committee rooms in which they participated. Outstanding Delegate awards went to C. Blakelock ’10, E. Green ’10, C. Minahan ’11 and Z. Stanley-Lockman ’10; C. Lyons ’12, E. Mullen ’11 and E. Pikulik ’13 were given Verbal Commendations; K. Wipperfeld ’10 received an honorable mention; and to L. Barresi ’11, M. Efthim ’12, A. Spiliakos ’11 and C. Plapinger ’12 received team awards.

“This was a testament to the hard work and dedication of a very special group of girls,” said Social Studies teacher and Model UN advisor Heather Panahi. “All of the work and preparation for this event took place during breaks, lunches, weekends and late-night evenings. Though we brought many new faces to the conference this year, they all performed like seasoned veterans.  I am confident that we couldn’t have achieved what we did without the insight and guidance of our fabulous co-heads C. Blakelock ’10 and K. Wipperfeld ’10.”