The Doctrine of the Mean (an article in The Book of Rites) states: [We should] learn extensively, ask questions in detail, think carefully, discern clearly, and practice effectively. By attending Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN) activities, Kaiwen Academy (KWA) students have had a more profound understanding of the importance of learning, thinking, discerning, and practicing.

From March 15 to March 18, six KWA high school students, who led by English teacher Mr. Jeffery, participated in the HMUN China 2018 held in Beijing.

The six students all are the members of the Model United Nations (MUN) Club, of which Jeffery is the instructor. The students joined the four committees—United Nations Legal Committee, Special Summit on Terrorism, High-level Meeting on Military Aid, and Economic Development and Cooperation Organization, and discussed the related topics. After the meeting, KWA teachers and students said it was a very memorable experience for discussing the global issues with thousands of participants from 14 different countries and regions.

Steven Sun, Krystal Kia, Olivia Washington-Durr, Young Shu, Axia Zhao, and Alicia Wang

The Harvard National Model United Nations, or HNMUN for short, originated in 1955 and is the oldest, largest, and most influential MUN in the United States.

“MUN is a themed summit with a worldwide influence. I have led a team to attend MUN many times, but it gives me something new each time. I appreciate that the school has been very supportive in attending the meeting. I believe that the experience will improve their speaking ability, train their logical thinking, and help them more deeply understand the significance of teamwork,” said by Mr. Jeffery.

The discussing topics demand a strong English language ability. The content is very complex and is basically a real simulation of the current global issues. So, it is highly demanding on the participating students, they must have a precise grammatical expression, a huge knowledge pool, and the flexible response ability. At the same time, the participating students come from the various countries and regions, the KWA students must be able to understand the different accents.

“Since, we applied for this activity a bit late, and we go through a period of holiday, actually I was very worried that our students did not have enough time to prepare. However, they worked very hard，and just within one month, they not only gained a comprehensive understanding of Austria, which was the theme of this summit, but also repeatedly conducted simulation exercises in public speaking. The whole process has helped improve the students’ ability in receiving and understanding information, organizing language and expression, and perfecting the logical thinking,” Mr. Jeffery added.

MUN Club, a student club that established in KWA last year, aims to improve the students’ English listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, to train their critical thinking, to improve their social skills and self-confidence, and to make them be more competitive in college applications. For cultivating the students’ comprehensive abilities. Last year, the school established many student clubs, including the Speech & Recitation Club and the Campus Reporters Club. Under the guidance of the professional teachers, many students have achieved very good results in international competitions. For example, two KWA teams respectively won second and third prizes of the secondary school group in the Final City China Finals. In this semester, the student clubs will hold more extensive activities and provide more courses to expand the students’ international perspectives and develop their leadership skills.