As of late last school year, the school now has its own Model UN.

A Model UN is a small simulation of the real United Nations, run by students. The members are given a certain country, and then are instructed to research background information on the country and how that country addresses certain issues, then they will represent that country in their conferences.

The Model UN meetings are held every Tuesday in Shannon Johansson’s room, the advisor of the Model UN. “The whole process takes about 6 weeks, and so every week is dedicated to certain parts of the process,” said Johansson. “Week 1 is all about figuring out what country you are, which is given at random, they do country profiles. And then the next week, they kind of choose what the problem is.”

During the meetings, the members will research whatever country they are assigned and what that country has done involving the selected problem. For example, a student can be assigned Zimbabwe and the selected topic is climate change, so the student will research what Zimbabwe has done to fight or accelerate climate change. They will then all present their research and pitch their ideas for a resolution to the given problem.

The Model UN also holds competitions that are run in a way that’s meant to loosely mimic how actual UN resolution meetings are held. If the competition is held at a County or Regional level, then the different nations will be assigned to each school as opposed to individual members, making up different teams. A problem is made and each country will make and pitch different resolutions to the problem, after every nation pitches their idea, a set of judges will vote on what idea they think is best based on how well it works and how well it’s presented.

“I think it’s a really good program. It’s a very prestigious program, so I feel great about having it at our school,” said Model UN President Sabrina Gonzalez. “It also makes you very aware of circumstances going on right now in the world.”

The Model UN can help its members be informed about current world events and how different nations base their policies off of them. The Model UN can also help members learn and practice how to speak in front of large groups and audiences. Being a member of the Model UN also helps make students’ college applications and job resumes look better because of how respected and prestigious the organization is. You even get a special quill for your graduation cap if you’re a member.

The Model UN is still looking for new members, especially freshmen to join, get invested, and to help keep the club going even after its members graduate. If anyone is interested, consult the Model UN president or advisor. Meetings are every Tuesday in Room 217.