Mira Costa conquered challenges around the country including the worst snowstorm in decades in Chicago
Which high schools have the best Model UN team in America? The Best Delegate team decided to answer this question and devised a methodology to come up with our Top 25 Standings. The standings are based on results as of March 21, 2011 which allowed us to capture results from NHSMUN. The standings reflect only team performance at conferences and not the overall quality of a high school program (i.e. it does not measure if a program has a class or hosts a conference).
Here is the list of the top 1-5 high school Model UN teams. All of these schools have won multiple best delegation awards, but their resumes are highlighted by winning a large delegation award at the “Most Competitive” conferences in the nation that have taken place so far: Harvard HMUN, NHSMUN, Georgetown NAIMUN, U.Chicago MUNUC, U.Penn ILMUNC, and Berkeley BMUN. Check out which schools made the list!
America’s Best High School Model UN Teams: Top 1-5 Standings (as of 3/21/11)
#1. Mira Costa High School (California)
Mira Costa won delegation awards across the country
After winning Best Large Delegation at UCLA BruinMUN in the Fall, advisor Mr. Timberlake said his team was going to have to “kick it up at least two notches” if it was going to successfully compete against the best as they traveled around the nation. Their undefeated results speak for themselves: Best Large Delegation at Nationals NHSMUN, Best Large Delegation at Berkeley BMUN, and a stunning sweep of awards at U.Chicago MUNUC as Seychelles, Bahrain, and Estonia (they would have won Best Large if MUNUC gave out team awards). They were the only team to schedule and win Best Large Delegation at three of the seven “Most Competitive” conferences — the most in the nation– and their win at NHSMUN combined with dominating performances at the two largest conferences on the West Coast and the largest in the Midwest makes them Best Delegate’s choice as America’s Best High School Model UN team so far this year. The team will close out its season at UC San Diego’s TritonMUN.
#2. The Dalton School (New York)
Dalton has been undefeated in the past 21 conferences
Dalton ended last year by winning Best Large Delegation at UNA-USA MUN and didn’t miss a beat by going undefeated this year. In fact, Dalton has been undefeated in the past 21 conferences and most likely owns the longest active winning streak in the high school circuit. The team won Best Large Delegation at Harvard HMUN, Best Large Delegation at Rutgers RUMUN, Best Large Delegation at Princeton PMUNC, and Best Large Delegation at Cornell CMUNC. Dalton is listed under Mira Costa because Mira Costa’s total strength of delegation awards won — and exposure to national competition — was greater. Best Delegate will be curious to see where this year’s teammates end up in the future – Dalton alums were Secretaries-General at three of the five largest high school conferences this year: Alec Barrett at Harvard HMUN, Zach Stone Penn ILMUNC, and Sam Lichtenstein at both UNA-USA’s GCIMUN and Johns Hopkins JHUMUNC.
#3. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South (New Jersey)
WWPS won the most delegation awards so far this season
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South is one of few schools that are willing to ambitiously schedule multiple “Most Competitive” and “Large” conferences into its season. The team stepped up to the challenge by winning Best Large Delegation at U.Penn ILMUNC, Best Small Delegation at Georgetown NAIMUN, Best Small Delegation at Rutgers RUMUN, Outstanding Large Delegation at Princeton PMUNC, and Outstanding Large Delegation at Cornell CMUNC. They have the most delegation awards from the top 40 conferences in the nation that we analyzed and those wins clearly put them in the top five. They are listed under Dalton based off head-to-head results at PMUNC and CMUNC.
#4. University of Chicago Lab School (Illinois)
Chicago Lab won Best Large Delegation at NAIMUN
The well-traveled Chicago Lab team asserted itself in the Fall with the Diplomacy Award (Best Overall) at William & Mary WMHSMUN and then placed 4th in terms of total number of awards won at Harvard HMUN. But the team really shined when it traveled to the largest conference in the Western hemisphere — Chicago Lab captured Best Large Delegation at Georgetown NAIMUN against very tough comepetition. The strength of that victory gives the team a slight advantage in our standings over several teams that won major delegation awards or own a head-to-head win against Chicago Lab this year.
#5. Port Charlotte High School (Florida)
Port Charlotte dominated even in a rebuilding year
Despite being in a “rebuilding year” after losing sixteen decorated seniors, Port Charlotte dominated rivals Gulf Coast High School and Centennial High School early on to win the Burdell Cup (Best Overall) at Georgia Tech GTMUN. They then stepped up to national competition to win Outstanding Large Delegation at Georgetown NAIMUN and boosted its overall profile with a strong performance at Brown BUSUN and Outstanding Delegation (the top award) at Florida Gulf Coast’s SWFLMUN. Although Port Charlotte didn’t have an undefeated season, they can still claim to be one of the best teams in the nation.
Check out the rest of the standings with the Top 6-10, Top 11-15, and top 16-25!
Congratulations to all the schools for their success so far this season, and good luck with conferences in April and May. We’ll be releasing our final 2010-11 season standings after all major conferences have taken place at the end of May.
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What do you think about the schools that made our Top 25? Let us know in the comments! We’ll also start an open thread to hear feedback on methodology on Friday.
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