Lynn Aase MUN Legacy Foundation

Sending High School Students to National and International MUN Conferences

We are alumni of the Model United Nations program at Huntington Beach High School who want to honor the memory of legendary MUN teacher Lynn Aase, who died in April 2021. We invite you to join us in supporting the Lynn Aase MUN Legacy Foundation, which promotes excellence and equity in education for high school students by removing financial barriers to participation in national and international Model United Nations conferences, ensuring that the legacy of MUN teacher Lynn Aase lives on.

Your contribution to the Aase Fund ensures that deserving high school students can travel to top MUN conferences no matter their circumstances. Every gift is a show of support for the continued success of the program and a tribute to Mr. Aase. Our initial goal was to raise $50,000 by HBHS MUN’s 50th Anniversary to create an endowed fund. We met that goal and are now raising additional funds to ensure a lasting legacy. We appreciate the leadership and generosity of our supporters.

For guidelines on how to apply for a travel sponsorship, see the Aase Fund Travel Sponsorship page.

How the Legend Began

It’s been more than 50 years since Lynn Aase started a Model United Nations program at a SoCal high school known more for surfing than academics and brashly took its first cohort across the country to compete at the Harvard MUN conference. From the beginning, Aase had big plans. He saw MUN as a way to transform honors academics into competitive sport. And he intended to have his team play in the big leagues.

Aase started out a promising young pitcher who signed with the Chicago White Sox in 1956, but an injury ended that career after just one year. He turned to teaching history and coaching baseball, first at a high school in Brea, California, and then in 1971 at Huntington Beach High School. Looking for ways to spice up his teaching, Aase checked out an MUN conference held at Cal State Fullerton. When he saw how intensely young people vied to solve world problems—and to win the gavels handed out to top delegates—he made two decisions: he would start an MUN program at HBHS, and he would coach it so that his team took home more gavels than any other school.

At most public schools, MUN is taught as an after-school club. But Aase somehow convinced his new principal to tackle MUN by diving whole-hog into the nation’s largest conference: Harvard. That first year in Boston, the HBHS team took home no gavels, but the valuable lessons learned there led to a string of successes at California conferences. A new course dedicated to MUN was soon launched, followed by a summer preparatory program. Under Aase’s coaching, HBHS began sweeping awards at conferences throughout the state, the nation, and the world.

Aase’s Commitment

For 31 years, Lynn Aase introduced hundreds of students to dozens of complex global issues and conflicts. He motivated students to research, think, strategize, debate, and lead. Before each conference he set up a “roast” at which students mercilessly grilled their peers. With an infamous grin, he gloated over dominating awards ceremonies and challenged each class to uphold “The Legacy.” Aase was tough—but he instilled confidence and camaraderie. Students learned not only about the world, but also about themselves. And after going over logistics, Aase always took a moment to lower his voice and make an announcement that if someone could not afford the costs associated with a conference, to come see him later in private. Behind the scenes, he and other teachers discreetly pooled personal funds to help out. Aase’s generosity also extended to the extra time he put into the program—driving students to UCLA or UCI to research as well as traveling to multiple overnight conferences throughout the year.

Aase retired in 2004, leaving the program in the hands of teachers he mentored. HBHS’s reputation as a powerhouse in MUN continues 50 years later. When Lynn Aase died in April 2021, some of us lucky enough to have had him as a teacher paid tribute at his memorial service and online. Over and over, his students attributed later academic and professional success to experiences they had in the MUN program he started.

Legacy Lives On

We want to make sure Aase’s legacy lives on. Please join us and also share our campaign with classmates and others who want to support excellence and equity in education. (If you are on on Facebook, like the Aase Legacy FB page.) Personal outreach is essential to our campaign because there is no database of alumni—we are starting from scratch! But if Aase could do it, so can we.

Mission

The Lynn Aase MUN Legacy Foundation promotes excellence and equity in education by removing financial barriers to participation in top Model United Nations conferences, ensuring that the legacy of MUN teacher Lynn Aase lives on.

Alumni established the foundation in honor of teacher Lynn Aase, who started the HBHS MUN program in the 1972—73 academic year and quickly led it to dominance. Aase challenged students, then empowered them. His legacy lives on in the accomplishments of the students he mentored. This foundation honors and extends that legacy.