Finishing among the world’s best is becoming a habit for Model UN teams at Highland Park and Rochelle Zell Jewish high schools.
Rochelle Zell finished first with Highland Park second among 300 schools and more than 5,000 students participating from 75 countries in the annual National High School Model United Nations March 6-9 at the United Nations in New York City.
For Rochelle Zell, this was the fifth consecutive championship. A year ago, the two schools tied for first, which created some anxiety as prizes were announced.
Team awards are revealed in ascending order. Sofie Lasko, one of Highland Park’s three co-presidents along with Tim Steves and Akshay Yadava, said she had a feeling the team was going to place, but there was no certainty.
“It felt pretty great,” Lasko said. “It wasn’t first, but it showed all our preparation paid off.”
David Levin, a Highland Park resident and a co-president along with Jonathan Taitz, also from Highland Park, said once Highland Park got second, a combination of excitement and anxiety overcame him.
“When they called [Rochelle Zell], Jonathan and I ran up there and got the plaque,” Levin said. “Then we were mobbed by our team.”
Athletic teams often have strong rivalries with neighbors. Lasko said it was not that way at Model UN. Collaboration and diplomacy are key ingredients. Levin agrees.
“I was happy for my friends,” Levin said, mentioning Steves and other members of the Highland Park team are close friends beyond Model UN.
“There is competition, but this is about diplomacy,” Steves added.
Neither Joe Brysiewicz, a Highland Park social studies teacher who is the Model UN sponsor, nor June Kramer, who has the same role at Rochelle Zell, could say proximity contributes to continued success, but their evaluation had a similar tone.
“They work very hard, prepare very well and want it badly,” Kramer said.
“The put in a lot of work,” Brysiewicz said. “Their level of research and preparation is amazing.”
Along with team victories, There also are individual honors. Both Levin and Lasko had a special moment at the closing plenary session where they addressed the entire gathering from the podium of the UN General Assembly.
Lasko said the speaker is chosen by peers on a specific committee which makes a report to all assembled participants. This was not the first plenary for either Levin or Lasko.
“It’s a feeling of awe,” Lasko said. “You are standing where Emma Watson spoke and President Trump. The first time I felt like I was going to pee in my pants. This time, I looked into the crowd and enjoyed the moment.”
Levin said he made a concerted effort to enjoy himself since he knew it would be his last time. Jake Geiringer, a Rochelle Zell sophomore from Deerfield, said it was his first conference and he also was chosen a plenary speaker.
“I was a little nervous with the thousands of people out there,” Geiringer said. “It was an amazing experience.”
Teams become delegations of UN member countries. Rochelle Zell took the role of Pakistan, while most of the Highland Park team represented Egypt. Levin and Lasko said their respective groups met with representatives of those countries at their New York consulates.
Steve Sadin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
