lynn-The Lynn English Model UN team is keeping a close watch on world events from Pakistan to Darfur in anticipation of their 10th annual trip to the Johns Hopkins Model United Nations Conference this February.But the fluctuating economy has become more than a topic of debate for the team, as members are struggling to come up with the money to fund their trip to the Baltimore-based conference.”Our greatest learning experiences have been the Johns Hopkins conferences,” said History Teacher and Model UN Advisor William McGuinness Jr. “But it is also our most expensive trip. The cost of attending more than one conference has curtailed the program in recent years.”McGuinness said students paid their own way to a conference at Brown University last year, and have already held three fundraisers to ease the burden of the $6,000 price tag on the Maryland trip.To date, the team has raised $3,150 raised from various businesses and individuals, as well as an Apple iPod raffle and an anniversary party and fundraiser at Papa Gino’s.The Model UN Conference features representatives from schools across the country, which debate important topics relevant to today’s changing world. Each team is assigned a nation to represent, and the English students have already begun researching potential topics of debate.The goal of the Model UN program is to encourage high school students to learn about international issues by studying the positions of assigned countries and debating current world events in a simulated session.For 10 years the Lynn English Model UN team has been representing the city at four storied universities – Harvard, Yale, Brown and Johns Hopkins. At the debates, English students have participated against prep schools, private academies, and suburban public high schools in addition to American Schools located in Europe. The Lynn team has achieved several awards of excellence in competing against these teams.The team still needs to raise $2,850 to attend the trip next month, and is asking for support from local businesses and private residents. Any group, business or individual interested in helping the team can send a check payable to the LEHS Model UN, 50 Goodridge St., Lynn.