Life of Mind is Top of Mind!

Fourteen Saint Patrick Catholic School students attended the William and Mary Middle School Model United Nations Conference, WMIDMUN, the weekend of March 3rd. Over this three-day conference, delegates worked with students from 20 different schools, each representing a different country or perspective. Topics ranged from Human Genome Editing to Combating Global Energy Insecurity. Participants also had the opportunity to work on historical committees that dealt with events like Ivan VI attempting to regain his throne from Catherine the Great to acting as the Earl of Liverpool in the Congress of Vienna after the French Revolution. 

Model United Nations (MUN) students develop public speaking, writing, and research skills. MUN often provides the first exposure to international affairs and introduces students to the wide range of global issues on the UN agenda. The Saint Patrick Catholic School MUN Club strives to guide students in discussing global topics from vastly different perspectives. The goal is to build compassion, empathy, and critical thinking skills to better understand the perspective of an adversary and achieve a compromise that will ultimately benefit everyone. Students also participate in "Crisis Committees” in which students are presented with a momentary unexpected situation and must work together to solve the problem. 

In addition to the Model United Nations Conference, six Wolfhound students took part in the Virginia Regional Middle School Math and Science Bowl on Saturday, March 4th. This event is part of the Department of Energy’s National Science Program and was held virtually to allow students from across the state to compete with one another. Dr. Strauss led James A., Jack D., and Luke S. from our campus at Saint Patrick, while Ms. Seeley met Riley B., Chandler M., and Juliana S. in Williamsburg since these three students were also participating in the Model UN Conference. Our middle school students faced stiff competition, but eventually placed 11th overall! Our middle school team also competed in Catholic High School’s Middle School Science Bowl in February and came in 2nd place!

Saint Patrick Catholic School remains dedicated to offering a variety of opportunities for students to grow in the Life of Mind outside the classroom and we could not be more excited that so many of our young Wolfhounds are eager to participate!
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