Board approves overnight Model UN trips to Brown, Boston University and New York

The New Canaan Board of Education approved overnight field trips for New Canaan High School’s Model UN team on Monday, moving to authorize travel to Brown University in November 2025, Boston University in February 2026 and a New York City conference in March 2026.

Board members heard from student leaders who described the Model UN program as an “academic sport” that teaches research, persuasion and collaboration. Ron Shilliet, one of the team captains, said the program fielded roughly 50 members this year and pointed to recent trips to the University of Connecticut and Boston University as evidence of the group’s competitive calendar. "We like to call Model UN an academic sport," Shilliet said.

Student captains and coordinators explained why an earlier trip to The Hague did not proceed this year, attributing the gap to leadership transition and missed deadlines; they said program leaders and advisors are working to restore international travel next season. Jeremy Schubert, a captain who led fundraising efforts, noted the team raised more than $2,000 through a winter-greens fundraiser and plans to revive traditional booster-card fundraising in the fall.

Board members asked about qualifications and logistics; students said higher-level international travel requires planning and advisor availability. The board then moved the trip-approval action and the chair announced the motion passed.

The approved motion covers multiple overnight trips and does not specify chaperone ratios or final travel vendors in the meeting record; board members directed staff to process approvals in accordance with district policy. The board’s approval was procedural and does not itself provide funding details beyond references to student fundraising and typical booster support.

Next steps: staff will complete required paperwork for overnight travel and inform families of trip details and any required permission forms.