There’s a reason that their motto is doMUNate, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.  Langley’s Model United Nations team ventured to Duke University with high hopes this past weekend, and these hopes were far exceeded.

The team claimed Best Delegation at the conference, and are currently ranked in the top ten in the nation.  Compared to Thomas Jefferson High School ranked at 25, the Langley team is especially proud of their accomplishments.

The trip was chaperoned by Mr. Stone, who substituted for Ms. Busath for the weekend; the Model UN Team was grateful for his willingness to do so, as volunteer supervisors are always greatly appreciated.

The road to achieving first place at a highly competitive conference came with the price of never ending stacks of papers and hours of dedication to delve into every aspect of a topic, but the members all agree that their temporary misery paid off immensely.  “The team always puts a ton of prep in before conferences, and by a ton I mean hours of research and 15+ page position papers for out country assignments,” said Julia Pennington, junior MUN member.

As a whole, the team has come together since the beginning of the year to resemble a family.  Having a close connection with one another, not to mention 5-inch binders worth of research, the Langley Model UN team has achieved wonders in a mere year, and are sad to see their seniors go.  “We will truly miss [the seniors] and I hope this tight knit family environment can continue on forever,” said sophomore MUN member Rachel Kim.

The Langley Model UN team has even higher hopes for their next and final conference at TJ.  Until then, it’s appropriate to pound the gavel for a successful conference at Duke.