The Renaissance International School Students Traveling to China for Montessori Model United Nations

A student delegation from The Renaissance International School (TRIS), a Montessori school in Oakland for ages 2 years old through middle school, is traveling to Zhengzhou, China today to attend the Montessori Model United Nations. TRIS is the only school from California attending the conference.

The student delegation is made up of boys and girls ranging in age from 10 to 14 years old. They are accompanied by head of school, Leslie Hites, and faculty members, Nathalie Hites and Emily Ahsoon.

The trip is partially subsidized by the Henan Ministry of Education. The remainder is paid for by students’ families and through school fundraising efforts.

Students prepared for the conference during a summer program at TRIS in which they learned about the United Nations and researched Costa Rica and Thailand, the two countries they will be representing. At the conference, students will be showcasing their knowledge through debates, public speaking and visual representations.

“Participating in MMUN supports TRIS’s philosophy of developing world citizens,” says Nathalie Hites, a TRIS Upper Elementary/Middle School teacher. “This experience gives students the opportunity to interact with people from around the world and helps them to understand other cultures first hand.”

Following the conference, the TRIS delegation will go on a three-day tour. They will visit the Shaolin Temple, the Longmen Grottoes, and the city of Kaifeng, the birthplace of Chinese civilization.

Click here to read one of the position papers for the conference written by members of the TRIS student delegation.