News

Sturgeon earns first place/gavel; Perkins second

CHELMSFORD, MA (May 18, 2022) – Sophomore Shawn Sturgeon earned a first-place finish and senior T.J. Perkins a second-place result to lead the Chelmsford High School Model United Nations Team at the UMass Lowell Model UN Conference April 5-7 at the Inn & Conference Center.

The Conference was organized by Matthew Waterman, a 2020 graduate of CHS and now a sophomore at UML, who chaired the Conference’s Economic and Social Committee, one of five committees in the event. The Conference drew five schools including Andover H.S., Billerica Memorial H.S., Lowell H.S. and Whittier Tech.

Mr. Sturgeon, who was competing at his first-ever Model UN Conference, represented China on the Special Committee on Science and Technology. On the topics of Methods to Mitigate the Risks of Space Debris and How to Promote Accountability and Understanding the Space Treaty of 1967 to Include Feasible Guidelines for Space Exploration in the 21st Century, he was presented first place and gavel honors.

Mr. Perkins, who served as the Lithuanian delegate on the Economic and Social Committee, received the runner-up spot for his positions on Strategies to Address Increased Global Poverty as a Result of the Covid-19 Pandemic and Addressing Equity in Educational Technology Worldwide.

“We were probably the smallest group with just seven people,” said Mr. Perkins, who serves as the club’s co-president along with junior Jonathan Domow. “What we did was make a perfect balance of our countries on an issue while maintaining a balance with other countries on that issue. We were able to find that balance well compared to other countries.”

In Model UN conferences, students take the role of a country or delegate and are presented with different situations and scenarios under a certain topic. With a short amount of time for preparation, they are judged on their responses by the chair of the committee (in Mr. Perkins’ case, Mr. Waterman).

The success of Mr. Sturgeon and Mr. Perkins was a boon to the CHS Model UN team, which nearly dissolved due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “I had no idea what to expect,” said club advisor J.J. Doak, a Holocaust and AP Psychology Teacher at CHS. “We were hopeful of getting a delegation together to bring. We only brought seven students, so for two of them to earn spots is pretty good.”

Mr. Perkins, the sole senior on CHS’s Model UN, will attend the University of Massachusetts this fall and will join its Model UN team. Mr. Sturgeon will replace him as the team’s co-president with Mr. Domow effective the 2022-23 school year.

“It is a unique type of student that does this,” Ms. Doak said. “Some just have a real intertest in politics. Students definitely have to be able to work with others. It also involves public speaking and strategy. It fulfills a need.”

About Chelmsford Public Schools

The Chelmsford Public School District provides all students with multiple pathways to optimize their own potential for academic excellence, leadership, and social and emotional wellness. The mission of the Chelmsford Public Schools is to educate, engage, prepare, and empower well-rounded and knowledgeable learners to PERSEVERE through challenges, demonstrate RESPECT and INTEGRITY in their words and actions, are DEDICATED to their community, and display EMPATHY as global citizens while discovering and pursuing their full potential.  This PRIDE-driven culture enables all members of the school community to support the growth and development of students.  For more information, please visit www.chelmsfordschools.org.