Eighteen Kents Hill School students represented the nations of Brazil, Bolivia, Comoros, Djibouti, India, and Mauritius at the 12th Annual Maine Model United Nations at the University of Southern Maine last week.

The culmination of weeks of research, planning and preparation, the students served as delegates on a variety of committees, tackling such topics as peacekeeping on the high seas, nuclear non-proliferation in Asia, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of genetic resources derived from plants.

Serving as Kents Hill’s “Head Delegate” and representing Brazil on the Security Council, Margaret Richardson ’10 received an Honorable Mention for the Distinguished Delegate Award for her exemplary work seeking a diplomatic and practical solution to a fictional political crisis in Pakistan. Representing India, Samantha Herrick ’10 also received an Honorable Mention for her impressive work in the Committee on the Status of Women, addressing the issues of violence against women and education of girls. Returning delegates Leah Bley ’11, John Bok ’10, Jack McAleer ’11, Kelsey Gray ’11, Skyler Folks ’11, and Gil Taylor ’10 provided valuable wisdom and leadership for our team, helping promising Model UN newcomers (Brennan Bok ’12, Brandon Bourgeois ’12, Zach Boylan ’12, Sarah Dufour ’12, Nick Fortin ’12, Dylan Grigg ’12, Heather Larrabee ’12, Chris McKee ’12, Sara Vogel ’12, and Zexin Wan ‘11) to learn the ropes.