If Longfellow Middle School is famous for one thing, it might be its Model United Nations club.
Model UN is exactly what the name suggests. It simulates the United Nations where students come together to solve real-world issues with diplomacy and cooperation. Over the past few years, the Model UN club has exceeded expectations and dominated at multiple competitions called conferences, earning recognition across the entire DC metropolitan area. Its massive success is evident from the hundreds of awards and dozens of first-place gavels that members have earned over the years. In 2020 and 2021, the club even hosted its own conference, LFMUNC, which was attended by over 80 delegates from 60 different countries.
“It really was a massive success, an emphasis of growth, diplomacy, and leadership,” stated Alexander Li, a member of the Longfellow Model UN club in 2020 and 2021 who has since moved on to join the club at Mclean High.
However, during the beginning of the 2023-2024 Model UN season, the club was facing a significant barrier – the club couldn’t find a sponsor. The previous year’s sponsor, Ms. Caswell, departed the school, leaving the position open. Further complicating the situation, the after-school manager, Mr. Martinez, also departed from Longfellow.
The search initially began in September with high hopes. Model UN club officer Ishaan J. emailed dozens of teachers. However, after countless rejections, it seemed as if all hopes were lost. Conferences were approaching quickly and Longfellow had already missed MCMUNC, one of the most important conferences of the year.
“We truly felt like there was no way the club was starting this year,” recalls co-secretary general Samuel L. “We needed another option.”
Through the midst of the chaos, current club secretary general Julius L. thought of a different solution. The club could have a parent as a sponsor instead of an in-school teacher.
“It was kind of a why didn’t I think of this before moment for me,“ stated Julius. “We never considered this as an option before.”
It was already late October when the club found parent sponsors. Fang, (the mom of Julius,) Miao, (the mom of Samuel), and Medha, (the mom of Liam S.), all took the role. Collaborating together with the officers, they eventually established a date for the interest meeting for the club: November 29, 2023.
The preparation for the interest meeting was the most intense part of starting the club. To meet the short time span, the leadership team collaborated to create slides and prepare schedules for the rest of the year. On the day of the interest meeting, over 90 students showed up to the Lecture Hall, eager to learn more about the club. At the front of it all was secretary general Julius L.
“A huge sense of achievement passed over me,” stated Julius. “It truly felt like we all accomplished something.”
The club operations officially commenced. With new sponsors came new changes. If the club wanted to reach new heights, there had to be some adjustments. The first step was enhancing the quality of the club. The slideshows were made all new with inspiration from previous years but with the content completely revamped. Additionally, the Model UN leadership team also changed the mocks that happen regularly in the club, by making them more engaging.
Most importantly, students from Mclean High School were invited over to speak to help delegates with their public speaking and confidence.
However, the largest change wasn’t implemented by the leadership team. It was implemented by the members of the club. The largest change was the massive increase in club attendance and engagement compared to the past years. This year, Longfellow’s Model UN club has consistently had over 50 members attend club meetings at once, more than almost any other club. Students have been consistently engaged and have worked hard to prepare for conferences.
Over 25 students attended the conference at Chantilly High School. Over 40 students have signed up for the upcoming conference at the Potomac School, creating a record for the largest number of students from Longfellow going to a conference in the past few years.
As for what new changes will come to the club in the coming weeks and months, there is so much potential in the club right now, both in the students and the school. To help reach this potential, the leadership plans to help this club become more serious and competitive, so Longfellow can win awards and prove itself capable to the entire Fairfax County.
