MISSION VIEJO : Team Takes Honors in U.N. Competition

A team of delegates from Mission Viejo High School took several honors at the Model United Nations national championships in New York recently, including two students who won the conference’s top prize.

More than 20 students from the high school attended the session, which attracted schools from across the United States and other countries, including Germany, Mexico and Canada. The students raised the money for the event through individual fund raising.

In the competition, high schools are assigned a country and asked to represent it in a process mirroring actual United Nations discussions. Mission Viejo students were assigned Belgium.

Co-delegates Joe Horvath and Jana Marvel won first place in the Security Council competition. The students were judged on the ability to demonstrate their country’s policies. Other skills were effectiveness in speech-making, consensus-building, leadership ability and knowledge of issues.

The school also won second place in the broader main committee category. Students involved were Kent Jancarik, Ryan Aday, Dave Moniz, Mike Kincaid, Cami Jones, Kristy Moran, Lynnae Stoehr, Kate Staiger, Shauna Hann, Tania Mieke, Jason Okazaki, Sandra Nashif, Jon Jewell, Dave Bayer, Kevin Brennan, Sarah McGovern, Jessica Zerwas, Amanda McLaughlin, Sudipta Chatterjee, Ellie Terry and Matt Reisdorf.