After nearly a year of planning, local high school students’ hopes of competing in Washington, D.C., fell apart within hours this week.
The 47th annual North American Invitational Model United Nations conference starts today in Washington, but the blizzard that rolled through the mid-Atlantic states late Tuesday and Wednesday forced the cancellation of most flights into the nation’s capital.
Faced with the prospect of missing the conference, in which students are asked to work on international problems much like the real U.N., participants across Colorado scrambled to find new arrangements.
After hours of phone calls and efforts to make alternative travel arrangements, students from Regis Jesuit and Smoky Hill high schools had to cancel their trips and seek refunds.
But Denver’s George Washington High was able to reschedule a flight for its eight students, and as of Wednesday night still had plans for them to board a plane early this morning.
“We just wanted to make sure we represented George Washington,” said Nate Skeen, 17, a senior. “We’re one of the few inner-city schools who can go to the conference.”
The students from George Washington are all seniors, which means this is the last year they could participate in the conference.
The model U.N. conference involves more than 3,000 high school students from across the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean who are interested in international relations.
For all the groups, preparing for the trip was a long process.
Registrations began in May, and students have been preparing papers and notes to compete for national awards ever since. For some students at George Washington, preparations also meant raising the money to go.
Regis and Smoky Hill and the teachers who organized the trip are battling to get refunds for the students.
Airlines and hotels have, for the most part, been cooperative, but conference organizers from Georgetown University have a strict policy that no fees will be refunded after Jan. 22.
Students are disappointed but understanding.
“Regardless of what happens, we all know it’s beyond our control,” said Sam Kissel, 17, from Regis. “Everyone still learned a lot in preparing.”
Yesenia Robles: 303-954-1638 or yrobles@denverpost.com
