Eight Athens Academy students participated in the third annual high school Model UN invitational hosted by Auburn University on Saturday, November 9, 2024.

Athens Academy’s team included eight Upper School students representing the countries of Egypt, Mali, and Zimbabwe. Athens Academy students also held several roles on the UN General Assembly committee and the UNICEF committee. Faculty advisors Allison Turney and John Scharfenberg were also in attendance.

Special congratulations go to Athens Academy’s award winners. Senior George McMaster won the "Best Speaker" award for his role as Egypt in the UNICEF committee. Three students were recognized in the UN General Assembly Committee. Sophomore Sophia Coppins won "Honorable Delegate" (akin to bronze) for her role as Zimbabwe, and freshman Sage Wilhite also won "Honorable Delegate" for her role as Mali; this was both students’ very first Model UN conference. In addition, junior Emiliana Korin was recognized with two awards for her role as Egypt: "Most Diplomatic" and "Distinguished Delegate" (akin to silver).

These four students were joined at the conference by seniors Luke De La Fuente and Leo Gabara, junior Brendan Golish, and freshman Ben Pabis. Congratulations to everyone who participated in the event. They will compete with the larger team at the University of Georgia’s Model UN conference in January 2025.

According to faculty advisor Allison Turney, “For a few years now there has been off-and-on interest in trying out a second conference to extend our Model UN season. This year, we decided to give it a go. [The Auburn University Model UN Invitational] was a event, and the students were wonderful representatives of the school.”

Athens Academy is an independent, co-educational school for students in K3 through 12th grade, located on a beautiful 152-acre campus in Northeast Georgia. Now in its 57th year, Athens Academy pursues its mission of “excellence with honor” through academics, athletics, fine arts, and service and leadership. Ranked the #1 private school in Athens, #9 college prep school in the state of Georgia, and #1 private school in Northeast Georgia (Niche.com).