2025 MUN Trip to New York
Five 12th graders who have been involved with the MUN program at JFKS for many years just returned from a trip to New York.
Even though all students had been to the US, the majority had not seen nor experienced life, school or college in the US.
We were able to stay with host families from our partner school Xaverian High School who graciously opened up their homes in Brooklyn again. The students experienced family life, enjoyed dinners, conversations and visited museums, went shopping and to football games, attended school events and more.
Our group activities in New York started off with a tour of Xaverian High School, followed by a visit to the 9/11 Memorial site and museum. In the afternoon, we met up with Tony (JFKS Class of ’23) for a tour of New York University (NYU) and enjoyed dinner with former MUNers Xenia (’18), Paul (’24) and Bella (’22).
Next, we visited another local school in Manhattan, the East Side Community School, where we met with students and got to experience an unexpected fire drill. We spent the afternoon at Xaverian for XAVMUN. One of our students chaired in the Historical Security Council setting and others represented the US, challenging all delegates to participate and debate issues and solutions pertaining to Chernobyl. In the evening, we watched a play on Broadway!
We took the ferry to Staten Island and – with a fabulous view and blue skies – heard presentations from the students about the five boroughs, politics, architecture and music in New York. We had the chance to explore Chinatown, enjoyed dim sum and visited the Museum of the Chinese in America. A meeting at the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations gave us insight into their role and current as well as future goals. The tour of the UN Headquarters allowed us to see rooms used by the very committees the Model UN program simulates, e.g. the Security Council, ECOSOC, and the General Assembly. Afterwards, we visited the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and had the chance to ask many questions and learn about career options, the role of a Governance and Public Administration Officer and the many challenges of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.
We also visited the African Burial Ground and learnt about the discovery, findings and community involvement to establish the memorial. Following NY trip tradition, we each picked Major League Baseball teams to follow throughout the season. The Jackie Robinson Museum then allowed us to connect baseball and sports with civil rights and US history!
It was a packed and busy week that went by fast. The students were able to explore New York, experience student and family life, and engage in many conversations about college, politics and more. We had a great time and memories were definitely made! Special thanks again to Xaverian HS for hosting us.
Click here to view the video with some more pictures from our trip!
-Mr. Robertson, BERMUN Director
