Albany High School offers many extracurricular activities for students to get involved with, ranging from sports to drama. But what about the Model UN? Here at AHS, the Model UN is run by Mr. Jeff Weltz – a former social studies teacher who returned to Albany High and is also the advisor of the Speech and Debate team. There are roughly 70-80 students participating in the program and it is open to all students.

Many students are unaware of the opportunities that come with joining the Model UN. There are a variety of educational benefits and traveling experiences. Although it is a primarily after school program, there are hopes to get courses and credits for it in relation to the International Relations and the United Nations this coming fall.  The Model UN plans to attend Vancouver, B.C., Cornell University and one of the biggest conferences in New York this May.

Mr. Weltz agreed to answer questions pertaining to the club to give people a more in depth understanding of what really goes on into Model UN.

Q: What is Model United Nations?
Weltz: Model United Nations is an authentic simulation of the U.N. General Assembly and other multilateral bodies.

Q: Who participates in Model United Nations?
Weltz: The popularity of Model U.N. continues to grow, and today more than 400,000 middle school, high school and college/university students worldwide participate every year. Many of today’s leaders in law, government, business and the arts participated in Model U.N. during their academic careers – from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and former World Court Justice Stephen M. Schwebel to actor Samuel L. Jackson. Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton is a Model U.N. veteran as well.

Q: What is a Model United Nations conference?
Weltz: Some Model U.N. exercises take place in the classroom and others are school wide. Still others are regional, national, or even international. These are called conferences, and the events are much larger, with participants from all over the United States and the world. More than 1,000,000 people have participated in MUN conferences around the world since the conferences became popular over 50 years ago. Today there are more than 400 conferences that take place in 35 countries. Depending on the location, the average conference can have as few as 30 students or as many as 2,000.

Q: When and where are Model United Nations conferences held?
Weltz: There are an estimated 400 Model U.N. conferences held annually worldwide. These conferences take place virtually every month throughout the school year, but there are few events in the summer and even fewer around standardized testing such as the SAT.

Q: What are some of the educational benefits of participating in the Model UN?
Weltz: For over 50 years now, teachers and students have benefited from and enjoyed this interactive learning experience. It not only involves young people in the study and discussion of global issues, but also encourages the development of skills useful throughout their lives, such as research, writing, public speaking, problem solving, consensus building, conflict resolution and compromise and cooperation.

Q: During the reconstruction of the school, a Model UN room was added. How has this benefitted the club?
Weltz: We are happy to have constructed a full active Model UN Room at Albany High School. Complete with Global Classrooms connections to the world so students can discuss important issues with people in different countries. Our next phase and an important one, through our Magnet Academy Principals and Dr. McCalla we are looking to make the room an academic research center with lap tops and printers so that students can do research that will assist them with their conference requirements.

The Model UN meets at 3 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the school year.