On Jan. 24, 2026, Lexington High School’s Model United Nations club hosted LexMUN XI, welcoming a record-breaking 330 delegates to LHS. The conference featured nine committees and served as the club’s primary fundraiser. 

Planning for the ten-hour event began last May with a preliminary logistics plan. In Sept., the leadership team finalized committee topics and began drafting background guides, which are detailed documents that delegates use to research their assigned roles.

LexMUN’s Secretary General Jai Bhalla managed overall planning and chair training, while Deputy Secretary General Asa Mele and Assistant Crisis Director Abdullah Omar led 21 underclassmen crisis staff members in running committee simulations. Deputy Secretary General Naavya Shah helped train chairs, assigned committee roles to delegates, and organized a mock conference held before the event.

In Model UN, delegates take on assigned roles with specific political stances to debate policy issues. Morning sessions involve formulating proposals, while afternoon sessions focus on writing resolutions. These resolutions detail specific actions to solve the committee’s problem. 

“Model UN very much rewards cooperation more than anything else,” Omar said. “It’s always those who are able to work with others who win awards.” In addition to public speaking skills, delegates learn the importance of diplomacy and negotiation—skills that can be applied to the world stage.

For its unique educational value, organizing LexMUN involved heavy financial and logistical challenges. 

“We have to fill out a form for every cent we spend,” Mele said, taking into account the club’s financial system. The club receives no direct school funding. Instead, it relies on LexMUN revenue to pay for overnight conferences, as well as smaller single-day tournaments that its members attend. On the logistical side, Bhalla described the difficulty of meeting deadlines, stating that he often had to remind club members to finish background guides and additional materials on time. 

Despite such constraints, the leadership team ensured the event was engaging by selecting topics based on club-wide input, including committees on topics like wars in 16th century Korea and papal conclaves, in addition to traditional UN-based general assemblies.

Staffing was increased for this conference due to higher club attendance compared to previous years. Model UN leaders have continuously worked to improve LexMUN’s planning process and make the conference more inclusive. This year, many freshmen members helped out in lower-level positions to learn the club’s operations, while sophomores and juniors took on chairing roles.

The conference concluded with a long cleanup process, but club leaders recognized that the experience was ultimately rewarding, having seen months of planning result in a successful day of debate.