This year, our students represented Sweden, Jamaica, and Lebanon, tackling topics such as reducing space threats, promoting peaceful uses of technology, sustainable food systems, agricultural plastics, countering cybercrime, and the human right to privacy in the digital world. Throughout the year, they immersed themselves in learning about their chosen countries, conducting research on these topics, and crafting papers presenting potential solutions. At the conference, they delivered speeches to their respective committees, presented their solutions, and engaged in negotiations with fellow delegates, mirroring the formalities of a UN meeting. Witnessing our delegates confidently present themselves in formal attire in a new setting and collaborate enthusiastically with other children was a proud moment.

One of the conference’s highlights was the awe-inspiring visit to the General Assembly room at UN headquarters. Student delegates occupied the seats of UN ambassadors while listening to addresses by the UN ambassador of Grenada and youth leaders.

Traveling to NYC was an exhilarating opportunity in itself! We embarked on a tour of the United Nations, where children explored exhibits from various countries and gained insights into the UN’s pivotal role and its ongoing efforts. They relished dining in restaurants offering international cuisine, strolling around the city, and indulging in shopping. Evenings were brimming with cultural presentations by other schools, with Cobb School making its debut performance as Ellory Maynard Byron showcased a traditional Celtic Jig to an audience of two thousand people. The social night, featuring a DJ and loads of fun, added to the memorable experience.

The Montessori Model United Nations program served as a culminating experience for our 6th-year elementary students. It broadened their perspectives on different parts of the world and the global issues that impact us all. They learned the importance of listening, compromising, and finding their voices while recognizing their ability to effect change and devise solutions collectively.

The elementary child is in a sensitive period for reason and justice, deeply attuned to the social dynamics of their community and possessing the gifts of imagination and empathy. Maria Montessori envisioned education for the elementary child as guiding this sensitive period, revealing the interconnectedness of the world, and providing opportunities for active engagement in global affairs to foster stewardship of our planet. She famously remarked, “Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.”