The Civic Engagement Club recently attended one of the largest Youth in Government conferences in the country.

This conference, the Capitol Conference, was one of the few held in actual state government buildings and was one was one of three held each year in Tennessee. Students serving as state legislators presented their bills in Nashville’s historic Cordell Hull and State Capitol building, and student lawyer teams debated their cases in the Supreme Court building.

This program was launched in 1953 by the Nashville YMCA’s Center for Civic Engagement. Hundreds of students from schools across the state, including Webb Knoxville, Central Magnet, and Signal Mountain, attended this conference over the course of four days, Thursday, February 27, to Sunday, March 2. This was Webb’s second year attending.

The club began preparing for this conference in early January during lunch sessions in Finn’s classroom. The generous donations of several Civic Engagement Club parents and a Webb faculty member helped to defray costs and make the conference possible for all students interested in attending.

Legislative teams wrote, presented, and debated bills in the House or Senate. House and Senate groups are divided into three tiers by grade level and conference experience: Blue, White, and Red. Webb’s teams: Rasmus Wolter and Sylwia Suszek (Blue Senate); Hendley Jackson, Christie Thomas, and Gabby Dooley (Blue House); Nick Allison and Ava Pugh (White Senate); Abigail Vorhees-Fontenot, Ryan Sublette, Libby Jackson, Lane Comstock, Neva Redman, and Anastasia Coonan (White House).

Lawyer teams prepared legal briefs and argued cases before the state Supreme Court. The cases they presented were based on actual historical cases argued before the Tennessee Supreme Court. Webb’s team: Sarah Deaton, Caleb Hagan, Danica Crowley, and Sebastian Seals-Arnold.

Members of the press cover the events of the conference in print and digital media. Webb’s press team: Anne Marie Florida and Adie Norris who served as Video Director, an officer in the Press Corps, which was a position she was elected into last spring.

Lobbyists influenced the passage or defeat of congressional bills through speeches and other political deal-making. Webb’s team: Quinn Shibayama and Olivia Dugdale.

Lane Comstock, Neva Redman, and Anastasia Coonan successfully passed their bill in the House with a nearly unanimous vote. Rasmus Wolter and Sylwia Suszek passed their bill in the House and Senate in nail-biting votes decided both times by a single vote. Their bill was signed into law by the governor.

Awards:

• Outstanding Statesperson:  Rasmus Wolter and Sylwia Suszek (Blue Senate); Gabby Dooley (Blue House); Nick Allison and Ava Pugh (White Senate); and Abigail Vorhees-Fontenot (White House). 

• Outstanding Bill: Lane Comstock, Neva Redman, and Anastasia Coonan: “An Act To Establish Guidelines for the Use of AI Surveillance Systems in Public and Private Spaces” (White House); and Nick Allison and Ava Pugh: “An Act to Reduce Opioid Addiction in Tennessee” (White Senate)

The club also attended YMCA's annual Model United Nations Conference for the first time this past fall at The Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro. More than 600 students from schools across the state attended.

Nine students attended: Gabby Dooley, Libby Jackson, Danica Crowley, Sebastian Seals-Arnold, Rasmus Wolter, Lane Comstock, Sarah Deaton, Olivia Dugdale, and Quinn Shibayama.

At the conference, Tennessee high school students learn about the operations of the United Nations by reenacting the organization's activities. Students either represent member countries’ interests in the General Assembly by drafting and debating resolutions, represent countries on the Security Council and Secretariat, participate in a model International Court of Justice, or serve in the Department of Public Information, according to the conference’s website.

Three of our students, Quinn Shibayama, Sebastian Seals-Arnold, and Rasmus Wolter, received "Best Delegate" recognition.

"In fall of 2023, several students approached me with a plan to begin what would become our Civic Engagement Club,” said Finn. “Since then, squirreled away in my room during lunches, a dedicated group of students have been discussing matters of policy at both the state and international level…”

Webb’s Civic Engagement Club was founded during the 2023-2024 school year by Quinn Shibayama and Bebe Falkner ‘24. Kevin Finn, English department chair, is the club faculty sponsor, Quinn Shibayama is the president, Olivia Dugdale is the secretary, and Lane Comstock is the treasurer. The club has doubled in size from last school year, growing from 10 to 21 members.

“While many of you were off to visit family, a group of nine Webb students were spending twelve-hour-plus days debating UN resolutions concerning the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Haiti or the impact of rising sea levels in the Maldives,” Finn continued. “Worthwhile pursuits for sure for students at an international school such as Webb and for members of an increasingly global society desperately in need of those who are aware and engaged.”

“I’m proud of the work of our entire group. I did also want to note the special accomplishments of three of our students — Rasmus Wolter, Sebastian Seals-Arnold, and club president Quinn Shibayama — for receiving “Best Delegates” awards,” Finn concluded.