Judge dynasty
rules model U.N.

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

Politicians could take a lesson on diplomacy from Father Judge Model U.N. team member Dominic Mallon.
The Judge junior told his teammates not to make any jokes with the visiting students from the Hangzhou Foreign Languages School until they got to know them a little.
The teen and his fellow debaters, who welcomed four Chinese students and their teacher to the school on Solly Avenue last week, know a thing or two about how diplomacy works.
After all, Judge swept the Model U.N. world championship competition last weekend in New York, clinching the coveted Secretary General’s Award for the third year in a row. It’s their fourth win since 2001.
The weekend competition involved 2,300 students from 153 school in 17 countries including China, Israel, Lebanon, Brazil, South Africa, Germany, India, Italy and England. Each team assumed the roles of ambassadors debating the issues of the day.
The 55-strong Judge team includes 13 members from Northeast Catholic High School under the direction of the Rev. John Hurley. The students represented China’s point of view on issues including global warming, elimination of land mines around the world, international terrorism, international efforts to combat AIDS and malaria, violence against children, stopping the civil war in Sri Lanka, the rights of indigenous people, the promotion of maternal health rights in developing countries, Iran’s lack of cooperation on nuclear weapons, the crisis in world food security and the natural disasters in Myanmar (Burma) and China.
According to Hurley, Judge’s win wasn’t even close.
"They won every category," he said.
Northeast Catholic senior Milan Stanic won the Best Delegate Gavel Award in International Criminal Court.
"This boy comes from Serbia and he was involved in a mock International Court of Justice in which a Serbian was on trial for war crimes. Our kid, who happened to be a Serb, was his defending lawyer," Hurley said.
Judge’s reputation in the model and U.N. community is well known. So much so that U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon met privately with the students, who were escorted into his private chambers before the competition began.
"It was unprecedented. Out of 2,300 to have a private meeting with secretary general, it was a big coup," Hurley said by phone Monday morning, still sounding awed by the event.
Though the airing is yet to be set, the public will get to see how Judge prepared to defend and win their title at the competition.
For the past five or six months, Insignia Films director/founder Steven Ives has been trailing the Judge team, along with five other schools as they prepare for the Model U.N. world, for a PBS documentary. Ives has directed several acclaimed documentaries including Lindbergh, New Orleans, The West, Seabiscuit and Reporting America at War.
Ives held the boom mike while a cameraman captured last Wednesday’s arrival of the Chinese delegation from a school located about 112 miles southwest of Shanghai.
According to Hurley, the U.N. Association of the United States in association with the actual United Nations knew about our reputation. They felt it would be appropriate for the Chinese school to visit Judge, who by chance are representing their country.
"We took them downtown to Independence Hall. At the Liberty Bell there is a picture of the Dalai Lama, who they are taught to say is a criminal and a terrorist. To see his picture at the Liberty Bell, that blew their minds. That was an eye opener," said Hurley, adding that the students became very friendly during the weekend conference.
Hurley is a big believer in the Model U.N., having been involved with it for 54 years — since he was a kid. He comes up from Wilmington and spends one day at Judge and one at North each week.
He also was a missionary for the Oblates of St. Francis DeSales in South Africa for nine years and brings that missionary zeal to the activity and gets a kick out of watching the students grow in their knowledge of international affairs.
"It’s very important to have a knowledge of the world," said Hurley.
Teamwork is also key when it comes to diplomacy.
The team’s pre-competition strategy, according to Dominic Mallon, was to do what they always do.
"We don’t look for individual goals. We’re really a strong team. We’ll be good to go," he said last week.
It paid off big time, making Judge the first school in the Model U.N.’s history to win three times in a row. ••
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com