The BHS Model United Nations team set a new school record at the Cleveland Council of World Affairs Conference on Feb. 25-26 at Case Western University, taking first place with 20 out of 30 members earning individual awards. 

“The second-place school had 12 awards—we had 20,” adviser Dominic Velotta said. “It’s amazing to see the kids’ hard work pay off.”

At conferences, students take on the role of delegates representing different countries. 

“They have to solve real-world problems, draft resolutions and present their ideas persuasively. It’s an incredible learning process,” Velotta said. 

The team has grown significantly in recent years. 

“When I first started, we had about 15 kids. Now, we’re at around 35,” Velotta said. 

Velotta credits the team’s success in part to the middle school Model UN program, which prepares students before they even reach high school. 

“By the time they get here as freshmen, they’re ready to compete,” he said. 

Junior Maria Zarjetskiy feels a sense of honor and responsibility being part of such a successful team. 

“The legacy of excellence pushes me to work harder, refine my diplomacy skills and uphold our reputation,” she said. “While there’s pressure to maintain our success, it’s also incredibly rewarding to contribute to a team that consistently excels.” 

One of the key reasons behind Beachwood’s continued success is the culture of  collaboration.

“The main factor that drives our success is definitely teamwork,” junior Ilu Thal said. “When walking into a conference, it’s easy to focus on one’s individual goals and success, but Beachwood does a really good job enforcing collaboration and setting up a good support system.”

“Our students are naturally competitive, and when they see their peers succeed, they want to succeed too,” Velotta added. 

Zarjetskiy also credits Velotta’s leadership. 

“Mr. Velotta pushes us to put on our best performance and ‘own the room,’” she said. Zarjetskiy.  

The team also has a strong executive board that takes a lot of responsibility for running the team.

“Our executive board, which is elected by the team, runs practices, prepares students and keeps everyone accountable,” Velotta said. “These kids believe in themselves. They’re a great bunch.”

Being part of Model UN is not just about winning awards, it helps students develop important skills like confidence, critical thinking and quick decision-making. 

“It’s extremely fast-paced,” Thal said. “You need to think and act quickly while also making sure you’re participating to your full potential.” 

The members of the team form strong friendships and learn from one another. 

Zarjetskiy is proud of winning the Superior Delegation Award at the CCWA conference with her partner Tony Zheng for the second year in a row. 

Thal shared that one of her most memorable moments this year was working with senior Exec. Board member Radha Pareek. 

“Working with Radha taught me a lot about the importance of research,” Thal said.

Research is a key part of Model UN because delegates need to understand global issues in-depth to make strong arguments. 

The out-of-state trips also act as a good time for students to bond.

“Traveling together is a great bonding experience,” Velotta said. “Younger students also learn important skills like parliamentary procedure, researching global issues and building alliances.”

The team has also implemented a strategy to make the club more inclusive and welcome new members with the MUNtorship Program, led by senior Ezrin Saltzman. 

The new MUNtorship program acts as a way for more experienced members to help mentor newcomers and navigate them through their first season, since Model UN can be intimidating at first. 

After the CCWA conference, the team went on to compete at the Michigan State University Conference on March 14-16. 

The team had attended this conference in the past but competed in the small school division where they brought home many awards. Since they brought more students this year, they competed in the large school division where competition is tougher.

Even in the tougher division, Amy Zhou and Sasha Kheyfets placed first, Arpith Prasad placed second and Ida Chang, Lyndia Zheng and Adam Hamzah placed third. Thanks to these great finishes, the team placed 2nd out of 28 teams in the large school division.

Velotta feels the team’s confidence is their greatest strength.

“They believe in themselves. That’s what makes them so special,” he said.