Three of our most competitive clubs at the Oakwood School — Model UN, Science Olympiad, and Envirothon — have started preparing to compete at the regional, state, and national events this year. All three clubs have earned numerous trophies and awards, and participants plan to do the same for the 2025-2026 season. Do you want to get in on the action? It may not be too late! You can ask Mrs. Imbimbo, Ms. Blackmer, and Mr. Taylor about MUN, S.O., and Envirothon, respectively. Each club brings something unique to the Oakwood community.
Model U.N
Model U.N. is an academic competition built around simulated diplomatic conferences. The topics can range anywhere from the World Health Organization to a post-zombie-apocalypse committee, allowing delegates to explore real-world scenarios as well as imaginative crises. Delegates are to embody their given role, draft resolutions, work through conflict, and collaborate on solving their committee’s given issue. Through this, they can hone valuable skills such as public speaking, negotiation, and critical thinking. Oakwood delegates have met with much success, winning Best Delegate in their conferences. This year, presidents Kanishka Dhaliwal and Morgan Hill (both ’27), along with director Ms. Imbimbo, are hosting a simulated conference to qualify new and less-experienced members for the Ameri-MUNC invitational at Washington, D.C. It’s not too late to sign up — contact the president or director for more information.
Morgan and Kanishka had this to say about Model U.N.:
“Model UN made me who I am today.” – Morgan Hill
“Model UN has opened many opportunities for me.” – Kanishka Dhaliwal
We’re all looking forward to seeing the Oakwood Model U.N. team’s success this year!
Envirothon
The N.C Coastal Envirothon is a regional environmental science competition where teams are evaluated on their knowledge in five areas of study: aquatics, current environmental issues, forestry, soil, and wildlife. Teams have begun studying and training for their topic and are making great progress. Both the Middle School and Upper School teams achieved 2nd and 3rd place spots in the 2025 cycle and hope to repeat their success in the coming year!
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad is an academic competition featuring events in 23 scientific disciplines. Participants prepare by studying their topics, practicing their lab skills or building models — whatever form of scientific inquiry their assigned events require. Although still in its infancy, the Upper School Team has achieved success at the regional level, with several members placing in the top three in their events and some, like Marshall Jones (’27) advancing to states. Last year the team had a rocky start due to scheduling conflicts, but this year they’re ready to guide the team to victory in February.
