Changing the world. Innovating. Debating. Only a small group of kids in each school make the effort to think about the world in a larger perspective, and these driven students at Morris Hills are coming together and joining the new International Relations club, founded by Lavanya Shenoy and Priyanka Patel, and advised by Mrs. Edelstein.
In the International Relations club, students get to discuss world issues and ideas that they are passionate about. This club is organized and composed in relation to the Model UN program, in which it fosters the growth of vital skills like research, persuasion, argument, and debate. One of the founders, Priyanka, has participated in Model UN, debate, and Mock Trial prior to founding the club with Lavanya. Though the club houses many competitive components, the main purpose outlined by Mrs. Edelstein is for the students to be in a collaborative and supportive environment to practice and improve themselves. As this club is newly created, she hopes to recruit a larger portion of the student body by word of mouth and creative posters. When asked what she wanted to achieve with this club, Mrs. Edelstein shared, “I personally hope that kids find a safe place to foster their passions and hone their skills. In a more concrete way, we hope to be able to become more involved in activities, conferences, talks and seminars beyond Hills so that students with those passions here at Hills can also connect to a wider group of peers and gain experience that translates to navigating international relations in a real-world way.” Lavanya and Priyanka think similarly, as they wish to develop a community housing like minded individuals, each of whom can take away a refined set of public speaking and writing skills. They said that they “want to potentially help people go to Model UN conferences beyond Hills so that students with debate passions here at Hills can also connect to a wider group of peers, and learn more about the world around them.”
All in all, the International Relations club is an irreplaceable club that will really help to catalyze the engaging thinking in the minds of passionate students.