Acera student awarded at Model UN Conference

Aadhira Satheesh, a Lexington-based student who attends the Acera School in Winchester, earned the award for Best Public Speaker during the United Nations Association of Greater Boston’s most recent Model UN Conference.

The event – held at Suffolk University – was a “no prep conference,” in which students receive an abridged topic guide and country profile on the day of the conference and are given a 30-minute preparation block before the start of committee.

The topic of the Model UN event was Protecting Refugee Children, and Aadhira represented the country of Jordan. It was noted by the Chair of the conference that Aadhira “proposed creative solutions to the issue in a powerful and compelling manner, and was the main advocator of their bloc.”

Acera School’s Model UN Club is an After School Enrichment Class open to all kids ages 10 and up. At Model UN conferences, students are divided into separate committees, with a public speaking coach — a business or legal professional, or a collegiate MUN expert — assigned to each committee. The coach supports students as they write their opening speeches and observe the first committee session and provide feedback on each delegate’s public speaking, negotiation, and persuasion skills.

“Learning to take on a perspective that is not your own, and solving problems with a systemic view in mind is exactly what is at the heart of this kind of an event,” said Courtney Dickinson, founder and director of Acera School. “These are attributes we foster at Acera.”

Founded in 2010, Acera engages students in individualized, project-based learning that is designed around their passions and aligned with their own abilities. In addition to K-12 education, Acera offers daily after-school enrichment programs and February, April, and summer vacation camps. For more information, visit aceraschool.org.