The roots of MUN's in Niagara trace back to Fort Erie Secondary School, where, between 1985-87, Mike Keenan, a teacher and alderman in Fort Erie, organized a series of three annual Model Town Hall Meetings. Fort Erie students simulated roles of staff and local politicians in the conduct of a council meeting. Contentious contemporary issues were employed. In the third year of this program, students from both Fort Erie S. S. and Ridgeway Crystal Beach H.S. competed.

In the Spring of 1985, Miriam Lapp, a Model Town Hall participant, suggested that FESS form a Model U. N. club. Thus, the first Niagara MUN team was formed, and with limited experience, competed at SOMA, May, 1985. That team consisted of Miriam Lapp, Alexis Pike, Jeff Remington, Charlotte Pocklington and Blair Healy, all participants in the municipal Model Town Hall program.

Next year, despite four of the original five having graduated, the MUN team grew to eight members: Karyn Keenan, Cara Pike, Haidee Wasson, Karen Knutson, Wendy McKellar, Dan Naundorf, Scott Bomhof, with Jeff Remington returning. The club never looked back, competing internationally at Harvard and in New York.

In 1988, Mike Keenan transferred to Niagara Falls, and with Ward Kramer, another teacher, organized an MUN team at A. N. Myer S. S. In two years, Myer students were running their own simulation and performing missionary work in schools throughout the entire Niagara region. Myer students were responsible for assisting schools in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Grimsby, Thorold, Welland, Fort Erie and wherever else they were asked for support.

Seminars were conducted on how to establish and maintain a club, how to promote and teach skills, and how to get ready and participate in an actual MUN. During those formative years, some key Myer student leaders were Rob Walters, Kelly Keenan, Nik Spilka, and Lisa Talbot, all of whom were secretary-generals at the annual conference.

Another developmental highlight occurred when staff advisors, Mike Keenan and Ward Kramer along with Myer students, Rob Walters and Mike D'Abramo were invited to present a series of seminars. These were workshops on how to introduce the MUN in educational settings presented to an international conference, sponsored by the United Nations Association of the U.S.A. in New York City.

For several years, A. N. Myer ran a large 3-day, hotel-based MUN simulation, which attracted 400-500 participants. With an appropriate infrastructure built and with so many schools now running their own MUN programs, Mike Keenan and Ward Kramer, with assistance from the Ridgeway legal firm of Jones, Jamieson and Redekop, formed an umbrella organization, the Council on World Affairs. The annual conference is now into its 14^th year, and is administered by COWA and secondary school graduates from schools throughout the entire region. The Council on World Affairs coordinates many other MUN-related activities throughout the Niagara region.

The list of participating Niagara schools in this conference is impressive. The following 26 schools have been involved:

Fort Erie: Fort Erie, Ridgeway-Crystal Beach

Fonthill: E. L. Crossley,

Grimsby: Grimsby District, Blessed Trinity

Hamilton: Westpark, Westmount

Niagara Falls: A. N. Myer, Saint Michael, Saint Paul, Westlane, Stamford C. I.

Niagara-on-the-Lake: Niagara District,

Port Colborne: Lakeshore Catholic

St. Catharines: Denis Morris, Governor Simcoe, Holy Cross, Saint Francis, Sir Winston Churchill, St. Catharines Collegiate, Ridley College

Thorold: Thorold, Monsignor Clancy,

Welland: Centennial, Notre Dame, Ecole Confederation