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On Sunday, April 12, the classrooms of Winchester High School came to life with the ninth rendition of its very own Model United Nations Conference — WinMUN IX.
With over 300 delegates from 27 schools across four states participating, WinMUN shattered last year’s attendance record and reinforced its title as the most prestigious public high school Model UN Conference in New England.
Preparation for the conference began in October 2025. With hopes of building off of last year’s WinMUN success, Secretariat members Diya Patlolla, Adam Zobian, Renee Lubomirski, Leo Wang, Sierra Scott, Sebastian Soto, and Arsen Bagdassarian unveiled nine new committees: a General Assembly on sustainable space travel, two ECOSOCS — one on sustainable tourism and the other on crime prevention — a specialized crisis on Washington’s cabinet, a joint crisis on the Troubles in Ireland, a historical crisis on the death of Stalin, a fictional crisis inspired by “Shrek,” an Ad-hoc Stranger Things committee, and finally, a Press Corps.
Just two years ago, WinMUN hosted four committees and 150 students. The WinMUN Secretariat remains optimistic that this growth will only continue in coming years.
With the new committees unveiled, months of preparation followed. Each of the nine committees produced a 20+ page background guide briefing delegates on the issue at hand.
Crisis committees designed individual character dossiers for delegates, while head of logistics Adam Zobian and Diya Patlolla printed placards, name tags, signage and purchased notepads and pens for delegates.
Staffers from the club along with pagers, who were recruited from the National Honor Society, were trained not only on committee procedure, but also in fostering an inclusive environment where all delegates’ perspectives would be welcomed.
On the day of, delegates arrived bright and early for the 9 a.m. opening ceremony. Keynote speaker John Bellaire, a WinMUN alumnus and current School Committee member, shared his experiences from WinMUN and offered advice to fellow delegates.
This year’s philanthropy beneficiary was announced as the International Rescue Committee, an NGO dedicated to helping people affected by humanitarian crises recover and rebuild their lives.
Left, The Shrek Crisis Committee Dias Liam Soden, Adam Zobian, Luka Boskovic, and Henry Cunnane. Right, The Commission on Sustainable Development Dais Uta Tsuchida, Penelope Howes, Renee Lubomirski, and Claire Lin at the Model UN conference at Winchester HIgh School. COURTESY PHOTOS/ELIANA DAI-ZHOU
Committees competed to reach incentives to raise as much money as possible. Incentives included prank calls, dais hot seat, and — most — the opportunity for the committee with the highest per capita fundraising rate to pie their chair in the face.
With the strike of the gavel, the day began. Delegates attended workshops hosted by WinMUN, including a beginner delegate workshop, advanced delegate workshop, and crisis committee workshop.
Following workshops, delegates attended the first of two, three-hour long committee sessions, channeling their research into speeches and debate. During the break between committee sessions, delegates flocked downtown for lunch, supporting local businesses.
After the final committee session, attendees gathered in the WHS dining commons for the delegate social before reconvening for the closing ceremony.
Left, In the Ad-hoc Stranger Things Committee, an election was held between Jason Carver and Lucas Sinclair (represented by Chair Sierra Scott), with Sinclair emerging as the winner while Talia Ho and Diya Patlolla worked hard at Washington’s Cabinet Dais. COURTESY PHOTOS/ELIANA DAI-ZHOU
In total, over $500 dollars was raised for the International Rescue Committee. The Press Corps won the competition for highest per capita fundraising rate, and the closing ceremony featured the pie-ing of Chair Chloe Silbermann and Vice-Chair Kristen Nguyen.
Plenary speakers from each of the committees reflected on their sessions, awards were presented, and the conference came to a close.
Looking back on another successful Model UN year, the WinMUN Secretariat looks forward to bringing similar success next year. If you are interested in joining or have any questions, please direct them to winchester.hmun@gmail.com and follow @thewinmun on Instagram!
