EAGLEMUN IV: A Day of Debate, Diplomacy, and Dragons

EAGLEMUN IV: A Day of Debate, Diplomacy, and Dragons Apr 24 2026 By Jacob Novis ’26, EagleMUN Secretary General On April 4, fifty enthusiastic student delegates from grades 7-12 attended our very own EagleMUN IV, Montverde Academy Model United Nations team’s in-house conference. At EagleMUN’s premier training conference, students learned, competed, and engaged as delegates, representing countries and individuals in a speech and debate environment. Delegates went above and beyond at EagleMUN IV, participating in solutions and growing as student-leaders—the Best Delegates even brought home gavels! For the seventh- and eighth-grade beginners, Chair and outgoing Deputy Secretary General Carington Helms and Vice Chair Noor Cheema created a welcoming committee catered towards introducing Model UN to future student-delegates. In the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Affairs Committee (SOCHUM), student-delegates worked to advance the rights of children, providing solutions for the next generation. “It was really fun,” said Best Delegate Grace Young. “With highly knowledgeable block leaders mentoring me, I felt like it was a stress-free, and supportive environment.” Bloc leaders Islay Smith, Camelia Berrada (Best Bloc Leader Award), and Kinsley Sayer acted as our Upper School leaders to facilitate debate and growth among our middle school delegates. Novice and experienced Upper School delegates tackled animal agriculture and environmental degradation in the United Nations Environmental Programme General Assembly. Chairs Elissa Ghanem, Raquel Teixeira e Silva, and Zara Liles-Henry, facilitated debate by upholding parliamentary procedure, setting the topic, and simulating a real Model UN experience right here at MVA. “This being my second UNEP committee,” shared Best Delegate Eisha Cheema. “I felt more confident and engaged and built on my experience to debate and push for global solutions in an environmental setting.” Crisis Director and outgoing Secretary General Jacob Novis, Vice Director Andrew Borne, and Chairs Julianna Barbieri and Nathan Diaz organized the How to Train Your Dragon: Council of Berk committee. In this high-level committee filled with new crisis delegates, MVA students responded to a new parasitic dragon species and internal strife on Berk. “I would say that EagleMUN was a time for each delegate to not only dissect high stakes situations but do so with the people you have grown to know and trust,” said Gavel winner Isabella Salgad. “From chaotic moments about criminal trials to genuine issues about sheep, it was an incredible opportunity”. “EagleMUN IV was a truly special experience to me,” said senior Jacob Novis. “As the outgoing Secretary General and a graduating senior, organizing this event and seeing these future delegates grow and learn right here at MVA meant so much to me. Being a part of MUN and as its Secretary General, I learned so much that has shaped me to be a confident, passionate, and driven human.” “My experience at EagleMUN was fun,” said sophomore Adam Hymore. “It was my first time doing crisis and I had a very important arc which made it even more interesting. Also, just being with my friends, having fun, and laughing was like the cherry on top. So, all in all it was a great experience, and I would do it again.” EagleMUN Award Winners How to Train Your Dragon Crisis Best Delegate - Isabella Salgado Outstanding Delegate - Jeevan Mahal Honorable Mentions - Krisha Patel, Adam Hymore UNEP Best Delegate - Eisha Cheema Outstanding Delegate - Emily Nguyen Honorable Mentions - Daliya Mousa, Charles Dumay SOCHUM Best Delegate - Grace Young Outstanding Delegate - Elena Areinamo Honorable Mentions - Ella Ionelli, Julian Soto-Barron Best Bloc-leader – Camelia Berrada Allam 2026-2027 Secretariat Secretary General: Camelia Berrada Allam Deputy Secretary General: Julianna Barbieri Under Secretary of Development: Noor Cheema Under Secretary of Administration: Elissa Ghanem Under Secretary of Policy: Isabella Salgado Middle SchoolUpper School