Chicago International Model United Nations

There are very few people eager to board a bus at 6 a.m. on a cold December morning. But twenty-seven people on Mentor’s Model U.N. team shoved their luggage into a charter bus at the crack of dawn to head to Chicago. For the six-hour bus ride, they seemed very eager indeed.

The morning of Thursday, December 4th, signaled the auspicious first day of an annual extravaganza: the Chicago International Model United Nations Conference. Initiated with bus boarding, bridged by Portillo’s, and bookended with a banquet, the opening day of the conference broke into bustling bureaucratic discourse based in 1956.

This year’s theme, “The New World Order,” asked delegates to grapple with the realities of a pivotal time in world history marked by decolonization, the dawn of the Cold War, a crisis in the Suez Canal, and the formation of international institutions still shaping global politics today. During both opening ceremonies and a post-conference debrief, CIMUN overlords provided delegates with one caution: to understand that as the simulation unfolds in the past, it’s essential not to let history repeat itself in reality today.

Mentor’s delegates were split up in a variety of committees created to model the real deal, ranging from the British House of Commons (unfortunately armed with boisterous barking) to the Cabinet of the Soviet Union (who had spies in every other cabinet). While taking a few creative liberties with the historic timeline, it’s difficult to tell whether or not a couple hundred high school students left the simulation in a better or a worse global front. Did being awakened at midnight to fight emergencies do the trick? I suppose we’ll never know.

Our high school delegates weren’t the only ones representing Mentor in Chicago – the conference found itself to be staffed by two Mentor graduates. Darlene Moorman, MHS Class of 2019, served as the conference-wide Chief of Staff, while Zach Payne, MHS Class of 2023, chaired as North Vietnamese president Ho Chi Minh (losing an arm wrestle that essentially led to the nation losing the Vietnam War in an unprecedented turn of events).

And of course, the team took some time to explore the grandness of the Windy City, whether it was the amazing food, the completely frigid pier, or the very tall Hancock building.

Nonetheless, team’s hard work paid off with a slate of individual awards and recognition across multiple committees. Senior Ayesha Faruki, junior Michael Hardy-Elwell, and sophomores Reese Layton and Sam Naymik each earned an Honorable Mention award in the Cabinet of the Republic of Vietnam, Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Bandung 2 Conference, and International Press Delegation, respectively. Seniors Theron Christokis and Ellen Freeman both earned impressive top distinctions in their cabinets as Outstanding Delegate in the Cabinet of the Soviet Union and Best Delegate in the Cabinet of Israel. Zoe Barninger and Ayesha Faruki additionally claimed their cabinet’s gavels in the democratically-elected Delegate’s Choice awards, and Faruki brought home the all-conference award of Best Advocate to the International Court of Justice for her testimony on behalf of the Republic of Vietnam.

Cleveland International Model United Nations

On February 11th-13th, while most were preparing for the long weekend, the Mentor Model U.N. team was instead preparing for our version of war – Model U.N. – setting our sights for St. Edward High School in Lakewood for their annual Cleveland International Model UN (CLEIMUN) conference. Eighteen delegates braved the cold to debate nearly 400 students and 16 schools from across Ohio. Our delegates were in committees ranging from the World Health Organization to Economic and Environmental to  Disarmament and International Security. Throughout the day, our delegates focused on merging resolutions to solve the most pressing global issues today and went through the amendment process to edit these resolutions to fit all nations ideas.

On the final day of CLEIMUN, Mentor teacher and Model U.N advisor Mr. Steven Couch brought to the news to all 400 delegates a pressing, geopolitical issue in the South China Sea regarding sovereignty in the Spratly Islands. Delegates met with their fellow delegates for their country and a middle school delegate to find a way to diplomatically solve the issue. Four hours and hundreds of debates later, CLEIMUN came to a close.

Sitting at the closing ceremony, Mentor was highly rewarded at CLEIMUN. With our delegation of the United Kingdom receiving Highly Commended for their group representation, given to seniors Ayesha Faruki, Sonja Marich, and Nick Payne, junior Michael Hardy-Elwell, and sophomores Reese Layton and Sam Naymik. Mentor also won individual honors to Layton with Honorable Mentions in the United Nations Security Council and Faruki with Highly Commended. Senior Juliana Nichols also spent countless hours preparing for her role as president and head chair of the Security Council. Finally, out of the seven committees, MHS walked away with two of the coveted gavels and Best Delegate awards, with junior Brayden Schlacht for Economic and Environmental as Denmark and freshman Ella Kosher also representing Denmark in the World Health Organization.

Cleveland Council on World Affairs (CCWA) Spring

Subsequently, concluding a very successful season of Model U.N., our team took on one last conference at Case Western Reserve University, held annually in partnership with the CCWA. Mentor sent 13 delegates, representing Japan and Bahrain in the Atomic Agency, Russia and Iran in World Health, China in Outer Space, Nigeria and Rwanda in Women, Morocco and Nicaragua in their environmental agency, and finally, Pakistan in Economic and Social.

Delegates spent the total of two days drafting, editing and amending resolutions to solve the issues faced by the delegates respective committee. They also debated, answered and asked questions, leading to a very productive committee session where most committees passed at least two resolutions.

The CCWA and Mentor MUN had the opportunity to listen to an opening speech by Samuel Žbogar, the Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the official United Nations. Before joining the UN Ambassador Žbogar was the head of European Union delegation in North Macedonia from 2016-2020, before that role, the ambassador spent time as the the European Union Special Representative and Head of the Union’s Office in Kosovo. Before his appointment to the UN, Mr. Žbogar was State Secretary, in his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also served as Slovenia’s representative to the UN Security Council for its two-year term as a non-permanent member (2024-2025).

Finally, it wouldn’t be Mentor MUN without a plethora of  awards. Out of the 13 delegates Mentor brought, 6 placed. Junior Brayden Schlacht won Honorable Mention as Bahrain in the IAEA. Senior Juliana Nichols and Co-President of Mentor MUN won Honorable Mention as Japan in the IAEA to top off a very successful MUN career. Freshman Ella Kosher and sophomore Alex Shi won an Excellent Delegation as Russia in the World Health Organization. Junior Michael Hardy-Elwell and his partner, Senior and Co-President of Mentor MUN, Ayesha Faruki won Superior Delegation as China in the outer space committee to top off Ayesha’s impressive senior year and MUN career.