The British are coming

In different classrooms around Edison High School, students from nine high schools represented countries from Algeria to Zimbabwe and debated issues plaguing the world today to learn to work with others to build a solution.

Students researched and studied the positions of the country they represented — but for a group of visiting British students, it wasn’t much of a reach to embody the United Kingdom.

At the school’s annual Model United Nations Conference, students left their jeans and flip-flops at home as they donned crisp button-up shirts, trousers and dresses to discuss how to solve worldwide problems from nuclear terrorism to pandemic preparedness. Last weekend, the Model United Nations students played host to a delegation of 27 high school students from the Hardenhuish School in Bath, England and will get the chance to return the favor in the spring.

“It’s a lot of fun. It’s cool to just meet someone and see what they think of America,” said senior Chris Landstrom, the co-secretary general of Edison’s Model United Nations.

Model United Nations is a class where students gain a global perspective by researching and debating different issues from the standpoint of a particular country. The students, acting as delegates from a country, have to negotiate and compromise with fellow students to create solutions to issues.

“Instead of studying the history, you are studying the world events of today,” Edison student Sam Saultz, 17, said.

The exchange is an opportunity to learn about a different culture and share the American culture. The Edison students going to Bath in the spring are hosting the British students in their homes. On Friday, the British students went to the Edison football game — the first time some of them had seen an American football game.

Edison junior Faris Barudi said by hosting a student, he has noticed similarities and differences between the American and British students.

“It’s just their whole different style of life,” Faris said.

One of the main differences is in language, he said. While both parties speak English, the words are very different, he said.

Some of the Edison students are going on a 12-day trip in March, said Brendan Patch, the Edison Model United Nations advisor. The trip will start in Bath for a Model United Nations Conference, where the students will get the chance to stay with the British students.

British student Harry Ford, 16, said he plans on taking his host, Chris, for an authentic pub meal.

From Bath, the students will sightsee in London and York and end in Edinburgh, Scotland

The two schools’ students have already created a Facebook page to keep in touch. Meeting different international students and building lasting friendships is just one aspect of the weekend, said Lewis Hall, the Model United Nations advisor for Hardenhuish School.

“Hopefully, they keep talking to each other and building friendships,” Hall said.