HISTORY OF “CASCADE OF NATIONS”:
During the 2003-2004 school year, students of the Model UN organization wanted to come up with a way to show Carlisle High School’s ethnic diversity and international reputation. With the help of Tina Trozzo, former head teacher of the world languages department, students began to research back through the 1980’s all the countries that have been represented at Carlisle. The initial list totaled a little over 40 countries. The club decided to have each of the flags sponsored by faculty, staff and community members to make their idea come to life. During the summer of 2004 the flags where hung in the high school’s bridge over Bellaire Drive. The total number of flags reached 60 after further research. The 60 flags represent every foreign student who has attended Carlisle schools, many while their parents participated in the International Fellows program at the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks. Each of the flags in the school’s “Cascade of Nations” has a plaque affixed nearby with the name of the person, family or organization that sponsored the flag. The “Cascade of Nations” was officially dedicated on Wednesday, November 17, 2004 with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by the International Fellows and their families.
MODEL UNITED NATIONS HISTORY:
The Model United Nations organization has been a part of Carlisle High School for nearly 20 years. The club has been under the direction of Kevin Wagner, Social Studies Department, for the past eight years. The club has approximately 50 members that are hand-selected in early September through an application process composed of social studies and English skills, an essay composition, and teacher recommendations. The organization is concerned with developing diplomatic, negotiation, and debating skills within the students. Students are assigned countries to represent and must become actual ambassadors for their countries, learning their policies and governmental functions. Students are further assigned to specific committees where they must learn about select topics from their country’s point of view. While the Model UN organization participates in several mock debates throughout the year, the highlight is a four-day international conference in March at the actual UN building in New York City bringing together over 2,500 high school students from around the world. This conference is known as the National High School Model United Nations Conference.