By Lilliana Ferrone ’25
The mood in room 221 was lighthearted and welcoming as CVHS’s Model United Nations members congregated for their weekly meeting. Everyone was cheerful as they prepared for their upcoming competition on Tuesday, October 8.
Model United Nations is a club where students act as different countries within the UN, and work to solve real world problems. The club competes with schools in the state. Every country represented has their own important topic based on real ongoing issues.
Eugene Johnson, a social studies teacher at CVHS, runs model UN, but it technically isn’t new. Mr. Johnson said, “Model UN is something that has been around at CV on and off for a couple decades. We had a club for a while, but the advisor moved onto a different job, and no one was … running it.”
He revealed that the current iteration of the club found its origins in a student questioning its absence. “The way that this current club came about is that Natalie Raff, our president, had heard that other schools were doing Model UN, and was wondering why we hadn’t done it too.”
Mr. Johnson’s only worry with the club is that, because the kids in the club are generally highly involved in activities, they often have to struggle to work around their schedules, but he says it’s “not a huge problem.”
Within the club, there are a few “officers” who take care of the most vital parts of the operation, with Johnson’s help. Senior Cadence Fazekas is one of these officers. She described her role as treasurer: “With the fundraisers, I’ll get the money, and work with Mr. Johnson to make sure we stay afloat”. The role of an officer is a lot of responsibility, but like a lot of features of this club, it prepares the younger generations to become leaders.
Although Model UN requires a good amount of dedication, such as the first members attending a “bootcamp,” it’s also full of incredibly accepting, bright students. “The group’s really welcoming,” shared Senior Mahir Patel, another Model UN attendee.
Model UN is welcoming new members through QR codes pasted on walls around CVHS, so if you have interest, scan them for information.