Model UN is a club at Smoky in which members simulate real United Nations meetings, and must come to a resolution. The United Nations is an international organization of countries from across the globe that join together to promote worldwide peace, security, and cooperation. The club’s next meeting is on Sat. April 12.

There are different level committees, including the Beginner Security Council, Intermediate groups, and the Advanced Ad Hoc Crisis Committee. 17 students total from Smoky are participating in the Saturday meet. The topics discussed at each meet depend on which committees are involved, and what the current modern issues closest to the time of the meet are.

“The topics change every single time,” says Madame Vockrodt, the sponsor for the club as well as the French teacher at Smoky. “Sometimes they will have to do with real life situations, for example we’ve had stuff on Syria or Russia or Crimea, and the Ukraine. It just depends on what is going on at the time of the invitation.”

Some of the topics being discussed on Saturday are The Situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Exploring Economic Alternatives to Oil, Developing Countries’ Access to Space, and The Taiwan-China Conflict.

Besides meets on some Saturdays, members of Model UN also meet after school on Wednesdays.

“During that time [after school] they get information like when the next meet is, what country they want to represent, what council they want to be in, and they’ve done a fundraiser to offset the cost of the busses when we leave the Denver Metro area. Some of the more advanced kids are required to proofread the papers.”