The Pre-Covid Years

2010-2011 School Year

Westmoreland County CC 2010

Yesterday, October 21, 19 Riverview students participated in their first every Model UN conference at Westmoreland County Community College.  All students performed very well at the conference with two students winning awards.  Danny Milberger and Casey Smith won an award as Lebanon for Honorable Delegation in the Security Council.  Congratulations to Danny and Casey and all delegates involved in the conference.  
 

Pitt MUN 2010

On November 8, 20 veteran members of the Riverview Model UN Team attended the 14th annual University of Pittsburgh Model UN Conference.  The team performed very well and enjoyed its day of debate and diplomacy that ended with our first ever award won at this conference.   Matt Hutchings and Hayley Flowers won an Honorable Delegate award for their role as the Mexican Delegation in the General Assembly First Committee:  Disarmament and Security Council. 
 

JHUMUNC 2011

This weekend, 10 Riverview students participated with 1500 others from around the world at the Johns Hopkins Model United Nations Conference.  The 10 students performed very well in their committees and were involved with negotiations and diplomatic proposals throughout the weekend.  Congratulations go out to Scott Keefer, Hayley Flowers, Aubrey Welschcox, Amanda Aber, John Connolly, Antonio Paris, Leah Koenig, Kyle Osborn and Ashley Reid.  
Special congratulations should go to Matt Hutchings.  Matt won a third place honorable delegate award in the Social Humanitarian Committee, a committee that consisted of 182 students.  This is Matt’s second UN award this year and fourth overall individual award. 
 

Westminster 2011

On Monday, April 11, the Riverview Model United Nations Team attended its last conference for the 2010-2011 school year.  The team included 19 students who performed incredibly well at this conference bringing home a total of 7 awards for the day.  Earning Second Place Honorable Delegate awards for their role as French delegates were John Connolly in the Economic and Social Committee, Sopie Belch and Jimmy McShea in the Humanitarian and Cultural Committee, Antonio Paris and Niomi Phillips in the Economic and Financial Committee, Mary Kate Patterson in the Security Council, and Matt Hutchings in the 1919 Paris Peace Conference.  Scott Keefer won  a First Place Distinguished Delegate Award for his role as Hejaz and the 1919 Paris Peace Conference.   The entire French Delegation (students listed above) won a collective Second Place Award for Best Overall Delegation.  These awards give the Model United Nations Team 10 awards for the year, making this year our most decorated ever.  Congratulations to all members of the Westminster MUN team and to all Riverview students who participated in our Model UN program in some way this year.  
 

2011-2012 School Year

 

Pitt MUN 2011

John Connolly –Outstanding Delegate
Sophie Belch –Honorable Delegate
Niomi Phillips –Honorable Delegate
Casey Smith – Honorable Delegate
 

Princeton 2011

This past weekend, ten Riverview High School students participated in the annual Princeton University Model United Nations Conference.  During the four day conference (Dec 1-4), the students debated issues ranging from the colonization of Africa in the 1800's, the creation of the Turkish State, to the actions of the Federal government and oil magnates during the Deepwater Horizon spill of 2010.  The students were engaged in debate throughout the weekend and were involved in the creation of many potential solutions to the problems that seem unresolvable in the current world.  The ten students who represented Riverview Senior High School were John Connolly, James McShea, Mary Kate Patterson, Kyle Osborn, Erin Kennedy, Antonio Paris, Niomi Phillips, Casey Smith, Sophie Belch and Danny Milberger.  I am proud to report that Mary Kate Patterson received a Third Place Honorable Delegate award for her work as Sutanto: Head of the Indonesian State Intelligence Agency on the Ad-Hoc Committee on Indonesian Sovereignty. 
 

Yale 2012

This past weekend, January 19-22, four Riverview Seniors (Antonio Paris, Cam Kelly, Mark Kate Patterson and Kyle Osborn)participated in the 38th Yale Model United Nations.  There were over 1400 students from around the world at this conference coming from as far away as Brazil, China, and Turkey to compete as well as from many of the 50 states, including Hawaii.  All four our our students participated in a very high level of debate throughout the four day conference and were respected and involved in many different policy decisions, ancient confrontations, and international negotiations.   I am pleased to announce that out of the over 1400 students at the conference, two of our Riverview seniors won first place awards in their delegations.  Kyle Osborn won a first place, Best Delegate award for her role as Sarpedon and Glaucus in the Trojan War Committee and Mary Kate Patterson won a first place, Best Delegate award for her role as General Guillermo Galvan Galvan in the Mexican Anti Drug War Committee.  This takes the Riverview Model UN team to 5 awards for the 2011-2012 school year with one competitive conference remaining (Westminster College). 
 

Westminster MUN 2012

Yesterday, April 23, at the our final Model UN conference of the school year, 28 Riverview students competed at the Westminster Model United nations Conference.  I am pleased to report that Riverview students won a total of five awards at this conference.  John Connolly won an Honorable Delegate award for his role as the United Kingdom in the 1945 San Francisco Council. Mary Kate Patterson won an Honorable Delegate award for her role as the United Kingdom in the Security Council.  Antonio Paris and Andrew Zentgraf won an Honorable Delegate award for their role as the United Kingdom in the General Assembly Social Humanitarian Committee.  Christian Snyder and Mark Hospodar won an Honorable Delegate award for their role as the United Kingdom in the General Assembly Disarmament and International Security Committee.  Overall, Riverview also won its first ever First Place Team award as the United Kingdom.  Congratulations to all who participated in the competition yesterday as well as to the entire team for a successful 2011-2012 year.  The Riverview MUN Team won 12 total awards this year, our most for any individual school year (3 at Pitt, 2 each at Princeton and Yale, and 5 at Westminster). 
 

2012-2013 School Year

 

Pitt MUN 2012

Yesterday, November 5, 29 Riverview students participated in the 16th annual University of Pittsburgh Model United Nations Conference.  The students were actively involved throughout the day and received many compliments about their professionalism and preparation.  I am pleased to report that two of our delegates, Danny Milberger and Sophie Belch were recognized for their performance, winning an Outstanding Delegation award.  The Riverview Model UN team will next be particiapting in the Princeton University Model United Nations on November 29 - December 2 and the University of Pittsburgh Model European Union on December 3. 
 

Princeton 2012

This past weekend, Nov 30 - Dec 2, ten Riverview students participated in the Princeton University Model United Nations.  The students spent the weekend undercovering those responsible for the Chechnya bombings in 1999, negotiating a new government in Libya, determining a course of action to deal with China, and rewriting the history of the Civil War.  
I am pleased to report that two Riverview students won awards at the conference.  Casey Smith and Sophie Belch both won Best Position Paper Awards for their roles in the Libyan Government and US State Department: China respectively.  
This brings the total awards for the 2012-2013 Riverview Model UN team to three.  The team will next be in action at the Yale Model UN on January 24 - 27. 
 

Yale 2013

This past weekend, January 24-27, 2013, five Riverview students (Danny Milberger, James McShea, Sophie Belch, Casey Smith and Christian Snyder) participated in the 39th Model UN at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The conference brought together students from 83 schools, including schools from Turkey, Brazil, China, Canada, France and Spain. The students discussed plans for the reunification of Hong Kong with China in the year 2047, the extension of the Empire of Ancient Egypt, how to perfect the Committee of Public Safety during the French Revolution, and the economic situation in Europe according to the G20. I am pleased to report that Casey Smith and Christian Snyder won a Third Place Honorable Delegate award for their team portrayal as the European Union in the G20 Committee. Congratulations to the entire Riverview delegation. This award takes the team total to four for the 2012-2013 school year. The team has two competitive conferences left for the year, Johns Hopkins (Feb 7-10) and Westminster (April 30). 
 

Johns Hopkins 2013

This past weekend (Feb 7 -10, 2013), ten Riverview High School students participated in the 16th Johns Hopkins University Model United Nations Conference.  The young Riverview team consisted of four Freshmen (Daniel Fawcett, Sam Glaser, Mackenzie Osborn, and Alexa Patsey), five Sophomores (Will Gonsowski, Jocey Ostrowski, Bree Patsey, Christian Snyder, and Andrew Zentgraf) and one Senior (Ashley McIntyre).  The team performed very well in their respective committees and continued to work on their Parliamentary Procedure throughout the weekend.  
I am pleased to report that Riverview had two students win awards at Hopkins conference.  Christian Snyder won a First Place Best Delegate Award and Gavel for his role as Marc Antony in the Joint Crisis Committee: Ancient Egypt and Daniel Fawcett won a Third Place Honorable Delegate Award for his role as a German delegate in General Assembly 1:  Disarmament and International Security Committee.  
The Riverview Model United Nations team now has a collective 6 awards for the 2012-2013 season and has one competitive (Westminster Model UN - April 30) and one non-competitive (Model African Union - April 17) left in the school year.  
 

Westminster MUN 2013

Today (April 30), at the Westminster Model United Nations Conference, the Riverview Model UN team of 20 students competed in the Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Special, Political and Decolonization Committee and Disarmament and International Security Committees.
  I am pleased to report that the team won 7 total awards at this conference.  Honorable Delegate awards went to Christian Snyder as Spain in the Human Rights Council, Ashley McIntyre and Jake Gillis as Benin in Economic and Social Council, Daniel Fawcett and Joey Kelly as Spain in Special Political and Decolonization Committee, and Danny Milberger and Casey Smith as Spain in Disarmament and International Security Committee.  First Place Outstanding Delegate Awards went to Will Gonsowski as Australia in the UN Security Council and Sophie Belch and Victoria Tibbens as Spain in the Economic and Social Council.  In addition, the Spanish Delegation won an Outstanding Delegation Award as the Second Place team at the entire conference.  
These awards increase the final year total of awards to 13 for the Riverview Team; tying this 2012-2013 team with last years as the most decorated Model UN teams in Riverview History.  The team would like to thank all of you for your continued support during this school year and is eagerly awaiting the 2013-2014 Model UN year. 
 

2013-2014 School Year

 

Pitt MUN 2013

At the 17th annual University of Pittsburgh Model United Nations Conference on November 8, 2013, 30 Riverview students represented delegates from the nations of Egypt, Haiti, and the Russian Federation.  Our students performed very professionally and remained in character throughout the day.  I am pleased to report that overall, our students won four awards at the conference yesterday.  Sophie Belch and Jocey Ostrowski won a second place Award of Excellence for their role as the Russian Federation in the United Nations Environment Programme.  Victoria Tibbens and Christian Snyder won a second place Award of Excellence for their role as the Russian Federation in the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.  Casey Smith and Danny Milberger won a second place Award of Excellence for their role as the Russian Federation in the United Nations Security Council.  Finally, our entire Russian Delegation comprised of the 6 above students as well as 8 others (Emma Patterson, Tyler Aber, Bree Patsey, Mackenzie Osborn, Daniel Fawcett, Sam Glaser, Andrew Zentgraf and Will Gonsowski) won the First Place Overall Outstanding Large Delegation Award for the entire conference.  This is the first delegation award that Riverview has ever won at the University of Pittsburgh Model UN.  
 

Princeton 2013

On December 5-8, 10 students on the Riverview Model United Nations team (Will Gonsowski, Casey Smith, Sophie Belch, Danny Milberger, Jocey Ostrowski, Bree Patsey, Alexa Patsey, Sam Glaser, Mackenzie Osborn, and Daniel Fawcett) traveled to Princeton University to participate in its first travel conference of the year.  The students debated, negotiated, and presented ideas with students from all across the country as well as others from Columbia, Singapore, and Turkey. Over the weekend, students participated in over 15 hours of debate focusing on topics such as the Irish War for Independence, German Unification, the conflict in Syria, North Korean politics, the Drug Cartel issues in Brazil, and the dissolution of the nation of Yugoslavia.  I am pleased to announce that the team brought back 5 awards for the conference bringing our total for the year to 9 in our first two competitive conferences.  The students winning awards at PMUNC were:
Mackenzie Osborn - Second place Outstanding Delegate for her role as Salim Abdel Aziz al-Muslet, Vice President of Syrian National Coalition
Will Gonsowski - Third place Honorable Delegate for his role as Sean Mac Eoin in the Irish War Committee
Danny Milberger - Third place Honorable Delegate for his role as Choe Sang Gon, Minister of Science and Technology in the North Korean Cabinet
Sophie Belch - Third place for her role as Lord George Curzon, Foreign Secretary of the House of Lords in tn British Parliament
Casey Smith - Fourth Place Verbal Commendation for her role as.Nilton Lessa Fabiano Gama, Coordinator of Police Intel in Rio de Janeiro Drug War Committee
 

Columbia 2014

On January 16-19, 2014 six Riverview students competed at the Thirteenth Columbia University Model United Nations Conference and Exposition in New York City.  The conference hosted over 800 students from 8 different countries, including schools from Iran, China, and Venezuela.  I am pleased to report that our students earned 5 total awards at this conference.  Casey Smith won a first place Best Delegate Award for her role as Anderson Rosa Mendonca, Coelho in the Taking Back Rio de Janeiro Committee.  Christian Snyder won a first place Best Delegate Award for his role as Felip Aner d'Esteve in the Cortes de Cadiz: Spain, 1812 Committee.  Sophie Belch won a third place Honorable Delegate Award for her role as George Poindexter (AJ) - Mississippi (Senate) in Andrew Jackson's Congress.  Danny Milberger won a fourth place Verbal Commendation Award for his role as Mullah Dadullah Akhund, Minister of Construction in the Taliban Shura, 1996 Committee.  In addition to these four individual awards, our team (also including Will Gonsowski and Andrew Zentgraf) was awarded a second place Outstanding Small Delegation Award for their overall performance at the entire conference.  Essentially, this award recognizes Riverview as one of the top four schools of the over 50 schools competing at the conference.  These five awards bring the 2013-14 team to a team record total of 14 awards in the three competitive conferences at this point for the year.  
 

Duquesne MUN 2014

On Friday, January 31, 2014, 28 Riverview students participated in the annual Duquesne University Model United Nations.  The team consisted of four delegations of students representing the nations of Argentina, Egypt, Luxembourg, and Myanmar.  Over 400 students from schools in the Pittsburgh region competed at this competition and I am pleased to report that our team has once again been recognized with awards for their outstanding work.  
Will Gonsowski won a second place Outstanding Delegate Award as Luxembourg in the United Nations Security Council and Christian Snyder won a First Place Best Delegate Award for his role as Argentina in the United Nations Security Council.  Sophie Belch was recognized as Luxembourg in the United Nations Children's Fund Committee and won a Second Place Overall Outstanding Delegate Award for the entire conference.  Finally, the entire Luxembourg team consisting of Will Gonsowski, Victoria Tibbens, Alexa Patsey, Bree Patsey, Danielle Hanlon, Mackenzie Osborn, Katie Stolish, Tyler Aber and Victoria Sebastian won a Third Place delegation Award for the entire conference.  
These 4 awards bring the team total to 18 for the school year.  The team will next be in action this weekend at the Johns Hopkins Model United Nations Conference. 
 

Johns Hopkins 2014

On the weekend of February 6-9, 10 Riverview students traveled to Baltimore for the annual Johns Hopkins Model United Nations Conference.   The students (Christian Snyder, Sam Glaser, Andrew Zentgraf, Daniel Fawcett, Alexa Patsey, Bree Patsey, Mackenzie Osborn, Emma Patterson, Maeve Hasselman, and Victoria Tibbens) debated, negotiated, and presented ideas with over 2,000 students from all across the country as well as others from Haiti, China, and the Middle East. Over the weekend, students participated in over 18 hours of debate focusing on topics such as the United States Financial Crisis of 2008 , the Warlord Era in Feudal Japan, the conflict in Syria, aid in Africa, the use of drones on an international scale, and the creation of a United States of Europe.  I am pleased to announce that the team brought back 5 awards for the conference bringing their total for the year to 23 with one competitive conference remaining.
The students winning awards at JHUMUNC were:Christian Snyder - First Place Best Delegate Award as Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke in the United States Financial Crisis CommitteeAndrew Zentgraf - First Place Best Delegate Award as Mongaku in the QUAD Sohei Japanese CommitteeMaeve Hasselman - Third Place Honorable Delegate as a BBC Reporter in the Press CorpsAlexa Pastey - Third Place Honorable Delegate as Palestine in the Organization for the Security and Co-operation in EuropeEmma Patterson - Third Place Honorable Delegate as Palestine in the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee
 

Westminster 2014

On Monday, April 14 the Riverview Model United Nations team participated in its final competitive conference for the 2013-2014 season.  The team of 17 students, consisting of a mix of rookies and seasoned veterans, returned with a total of 5 awards.  The students winning awards were: Christian Snyder, Honorable Delegate award as Albania in the High Level Political Forum, Danny Milberger, Honorable Delegate award as France in the High Level Political Forum, Sam Glaser and Claire Dunning, Honorable Delegation award as Albania in the Economic and Social Council, Sophie Belch, First Place Outstanding Delegate award as France in the Economic and Social Council.  The Albanian Delegation consisting of Christian Snyder, Jocey Ostrowski, Sam Glaser, Claire Dunning, Danielle Hanlon and Dana Grover also won a Third Place Honorable Delegation award.  
This final conference caps the teams most successful year ever.  The 2013-2014 Riverview Model United Nations Team won a total of 28 awards (doubling is past high total), including team awards at the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, Westminster College, and Columbia University conferences.  Most impressively, the awards won this year were attained, either individually or as part of a delegation, by a 21 different students (only 6 of them seniors).  
 

2014-2015 School Year

 

Pitt MUN 2014

On Monday, November 10, 30 Riverview students participated in their first competitive coinference of the year at the 18th annual University of Pittsburgh Model United Nations Conference.  The Riverview team consisted if three total delegations representing the nations of Colombia, France, and Guinea and were involved in many discussions, some dealing with the Crisis in Ukraine to the Rights to the Resources found in the Arctic Circle.  I am pleased to announce that the Riverview team had an unprecedented performance at the conference, bringing home a total of 10 awards for the day.  The award winners are as follows:
The team of Carys Kenny-Howell, Daniel Pellechio, Bree Patsey, Ben Rushin, Sam Glaser, Molly Kennedy, Gina Santoriello, and Joe Kelly won the Second Place Excellent Small Delegation Award for their portrayal as Colombia.
Christian Snyder and Danielle Hanlon: First Place Outstanding Delegation as France for UN Development Programme
Mackenzie Osborn and Lena Ison: First Place Outstanding Delegation as France for UN High Commission on Refugees
Will Gonsowski and Emma Patterson:  Second Place Excellent Delegation as France in the UN Security Council
Andrew Zentgraf and Daniel Fawcett:  Second Place Excellent Delegation as France in the UN Ad-Hoc Security Council
Sydney Reyes and Ricky Smith:  Second Place Excellent Delegation as France in Disarmament and International Security Council
Alexa Patsey and Tyler Aber:  Third Place Verbal Commendation as France in Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee
Will Gonsowski and Emma Patterson (First Place) and Sydney Reyes and Ricky Smith (Second Place) also won Position Paper awards for the French Delegation
Lastly, the French Delegation consisting of Will Gonsowski, Emma Patterson, Andrew Zentgraf, Daniel Fawcett, Christian Snyder, Danielle Hanlon, Mackenzie Osborn, Lena Ison, Alexa Patsey, Tyler Aber, Sydney Reyes and Ricky Smith won the Overall Outstanding Delegation Award as top large delegation for the conference.  This is the second straight Outstanding Delegation Award won by Riverview at the University of Pittsburgh Model United Nations Conference.  
Congratulations to the entire Pitt Model United Nations team.
 

Princeton 2014

The weekend of November 20-23 saw eight students from the Riverview Model United Nations team participated in the annual Princeton Model United Nations Conference (PMUNC).  The conference gathered 1100 students from 85 schools and 5 different countries including students from China, Turkey, Italy and the Dominican Republic.  Our students spent their 20 hours committee debating and negotiating issues such as the world in 2050, the crisis between Israel and Palestine, creating Mao's China, discussing crisis in Liberian, and re-enacting the Paris Peace Conference.  I am pleased to report that the Riverview team earned 6 total awards at PMUNC 2014 bringing the teams' total for the first two conferences in this 2014-15 season to 16.  Students winning individual awards were:
Daniel Fawcett - Second Place Outstanding Delegate Award as Edgar Snow in Mao's Red Base Committee; Alexa Patsey - Third Place Honorable Delegate Award as the Vice President of the United States in the National   Security Council of 2050Mackenzie Osborn - Third Place Honorable Delegate Award as Hasan Yousef in the Joint Crisis Hamas Committee; Sam Glaser - Verbal Commendation Award as Chen Yun in Mao's Red Base Committee; Emma Patterson - Verbal Commendation Award as the Director of Homeland Security in the National   Security Council of 2050
Overall, the team including Jocey Ostrowski, Danielle Hanlon, Tyler Aber, Daniel Fawcett, Alexa Patsey, Mackenzie Osborn, Sam Glaser and Emma Patterson won a second place Outstanding Delegation Award for the entire conference.  This means that the Riverview team was one of only 4 schools recognized for team excellence at the Princeton conference. 
 

Yale 2015

This past weekend, January 22-25, 2015, eight Riverview students (Jocey Ostrowski, Will Gonsowski, Andrew Zentgraf, Christian Snyder, Bree Patsey, Daniel Fawcett, Lena Ison, and Dana Grover) participated in the 41st annual Yale Model United Nations Conference.  Over 1600 students from over 10 countries competed in the 4 day simulation. The students debated issues such as how to aid citizens living on a sinking island nation to how best to unify the nations of the Arab League as well as creating a hypothetical Holy Mediterranean Empire.   I am pleased to report that our Riverview team had yet another successful weekend.  Four Riverview students received award recognition at the Yale conference bringing the team award total for the 2014-2015 season to 20 so far.  The students being recognized at Yale this past weekend were:
Christian Snyder:  First Place Best Delegate as Vicar of Oriens in the Empire Eterna Committee; Daniel Fawcett:  Third Place Honorable Delegate as International Organization for Migration in the Advisory Panel on Water Security; Lena Ison:  Third Place Honorable Delegate as Bahrain in the Arab League; Bree Patsey:  Fourth Place Commendable Delegate as Social Medial Relations in the Press Corps
Also this weekend, Jocey Ostrowski completed an interview with the founder of BestDelegate.com, the main Model United Nations website.  You can see this and other articles from Jocey Ostrowski and Bree Patsey on the Yale Model UN page http://thedailyy.yira.org/
 

Johns Hopkins 2015

I am happy to report that for the first time in its history, the Riverview Model United Nations Team won First Place at a major college 4-day conference.  At the 18th Annual Johns Hopkins University Model United Nations Conference this weekend (Feb 5-8, 2015), Riverview High School competed against 72 high schools (1900 total students) from across the country and was named Best Small Delegation at the Conference.  Our nine person team, consisting of Seniors Will Gonsowski, Bree Patsey, Christian Snyder and Andrew Zentgraf, Juniors Sam Glaser, Mackenzie Osborn and Alexa Patsey, and Sophomores Tyler Aber and Emma Patterson also won 7 individual awards during the weekend leading to the overall delegation recognition.  During the weekend, our students successfully stopped the spread of the Ebola virus, saved the world from an ISIS Cyber threat, recreated the Soviet Union, and aided the release of Korean refugees among other issues.  The students winning awards at the conference are listed below:
Tyler Aber:  First Place Best Delegate as Nikolai Patrushev in the Summit on Cybercrime and Cyberwarfare; Andrew Zentgraf - First Place Best Delegate as Dmitry Medvedev in the UN Security Council Advisory Panel; Emma Patterson:  First Place Best Delegate as the Republic of Korea in the Commission on the North Korean Conflict; Will Gonsowski -  Second Place Outstanding Delegate as the Russian Federation in the UN Security Council; Mackenzie Osborn:  Second Place Outstanding Delegate as Mehmet Simsek in the Erdogan Turkish Cabinet; Christian Snyder:  Third Place Honorable Delegate as Vladimir Putin in the G20 Summit; Sam Glaser: Third Place Honorable Delegate as Shankar Dayal Sharma in the India-Kashmir Conflict Quad Comm.
This brings the team total to a new record 28 awards for the 2014-2015 year with one competitive conference remaining.  The team has taken best delegation first place awards at Johns Hopkins and Pitt this year and has earned outstanding delegation recognition at Princeton.
 

2015-2016 School Year

 

Pitt MUN 2015

On Monday, November 2, 2015, 28 Riverview students joined approximately 450 students from 27 schools in the Pitttsburgh area at the 19th annual University of Pittsburgh Model United Nations Conference.  The Riverview students represented the delegations of the Peoples' Republic of China, South Sudan, and the Dominican Republic and debated topics raging from Space Debris to Deforestation to the current Syrian refugee crisis.  For the third year in a row, Riverview was recognized as one of the top schools at the conference, bringing home more awards (six total awards) than all of the other schools in attendance.  In fact, the students representing the delegation of the Peoples' Republic of China were recognized as the Excellent Delegation at the conference, a second place overall.  The Chinese delegation consisted of Emma Patterson, Daniel Fawcett, Tyler Aber, Nick McShea, Mackenzie Osborn, Adam Walker, Alexa Patsey, Calvin Hogate, Meredith Kocur and Cassy DeBacco.  
Students winning individual delegation awards are as follows:
Emma Patterson, Best Delegate (1st Place) as Peoples' Republic of China in the  UN Security Council 
Mackenzie Osborn and Adam Walker, Best Delegate (1st Place) as Peoples' Republic of China in the UN High Commission on Refugees 
Alexa Patsey and Calvin Hogate, Best Delegate (1st Place) as Peoples' Republic of China in the World Health Organization
Danielle Hanlon and Jordan Zatawski, Outstanding Delegate (2nd Place) as South Sudan in the World Health Organization
Nick Porovne and Jake Glaser, Outstanding Delegate (2nd Place) as Dominican Republic in the UN Environment Programme
 

Princeton 2015

During the four day weekend of Nov 19 - 22, 2015, eight Riverview High School Students joined approximately 850 students from the United States, Turkey, Canada and the Cayman Islands at the Princeton University Model United Nations Conference.  The team of Sydney Reyes, Danielle Hanlon, Nick Porovne, Calvin Hogate, Emma Patterson, Dana Grover, Lena Ison, and Tyler Aber spent their weekend discussing problems facing nations such as Israel and the Ukraine, current issues of ISIS, refugees, and immigration, ways to defeat Napoleon, and even reliving the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Every member of the team was an integral delegate in the way that the committee discussions unfolded over the weekend and two of the team were recognized with awards at the end of the conference.  
Tyler Aber won a First Place Best Delegate award for his role as Andrei Gromyko - Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Soviet Union Cuban Missile Crisis Committee
Lena Ison won a Third Place Honorable Delegate award for her role as Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) in the Knesset Cyber Security Committee.
Congratulations to Tyler and Lena and to the entire Riverview Princeton Model UN team for a great conference experience.
 

Columbia 2016

Over the weekend of January 14-17, 2016, 6 members of the Riverview Model UN Team (Emma Patterson, Mackenzie Osborn, Alexa Patsey, Tyler Aber, Daniel Fawcett, and Sam Glaser) participated in the 15th Annual Columbia Model United Nations Conference.  The team competed against approximately 700 students from 4 countries in topics ranging from the future of ISIL and Cyberterrorism, the Puerto Rican and Spanish Civil Wars, and the history of Harlem and New York City.  I am pleased to report that five members of the team were recognized for their performance this weekend.
Mackenzie Osborn - First Place Best Delegate as Blanca Canales Torresola in the Puerto Rican Revolution of 1948 Committee
Daniel Fawcett - Second Place Outstanding Delegate as Miguel Buiza Fernández-Palacios, commander of the Republican Navy in the Spain in Flames 1936 Committee
Tyler Aber - Third Place Honorable Delegate as Tim Rains, Chief Security Advisor at Microsoft, in the UN Cybersecurity Taskforce Committee
Sam Glaser - Verbal Commendation as C. Virginia Fields, Mayor of Manhattan, in the Bloomberg Mayoralty Committee
Alexa Patsey - Verbal Commendation as Poland in the Organization for the Cooperation and Security of Europe
Also of note was Emma Patterson, Dr. Ferdinand Freudenstein in the Columbia Takeover Committee who was consistently recognized as a lead delegate in her committee room throughout the weekend.
 

Johns Hopkins 2016

Over the weekend of February 19-22, 8 Riverview students joined over 2000 students from at the 19th annual Johns Hopkins University Model United Nations Conference.  Over the weekend, the students participated in many discussions focusing on world issues.  Some of the topics debated at the conference were how to solve the problems in Saudi Arabia, settle the dispute over the sovereignty of Hong Kong, the plight of women in developing nations, and the hypothetical death of Vladimir Putin.  After all of the debate was completed, four Riverview students walked away with awards for the following roles:
Mackenzie Osborn, First Place Best Delegate for her role as Mohammad Bin Nayef Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in the House of Saud Committee
Danielle Hanlon, First Place Best Delegate for her role as the Russian Federation in the Hong Kong 2022 Committee
Sam Glaser, Second Place Outstanding Delegate for his role as Cosimo De Medici in the Florence Committee Room of the Quadumvirate Council
Alexa Patsey, Second Place Outstanding Delegate for her role as the Russian Federation in the United Nations Security Council
These four awards bring the team total to 18 for this 2015-2106 season.  The Model United Nations team is now looking forward to its final two events of the year, the non-competitive Model African Union and the annual competitive Westminster College Model United Nations Conference.
 

Westminster MUN 2016

On Monday, April 11, 2016, 25 Riverview students competed against approximately 200 students at Westminster College at their final Model UN conference of the 2015-16 school year.   The team ended the competitive year on a winning streak, earning 7 awards at the 8th annual Westminster Model United Nations Conference.  Students winning individual awards at this conference were:
Sydney Reyes and Ben Brumbaugh, second place Honorable Delegates as Syria in General Assembly 4: Special, Political and Decolonization Committee
Mackenzie Osborn, second place Honorable Delegate as Peoples' Republic of China in General Assembly 4: Special, Political and Decolonization Committee
Dana Grover and Nick McShea, second place Honorable Delegate as Italy in the Economic and Social Council
Danielle Hanlon and Adam Walker, second place Honorable Delegates as Italy in the Paris Peace Conference, 1919
Sam Glaser and Alexa Patsey, first place Outstanding Delegates as Peoples' Republic of China in the Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The team also earned two delegation awards at the conference, bringing home the Best and Outstanding Delegation Awards as First and Second place Overall teams at the conference.
The Italian Delegation of Jack Stock, Seth Merryman, Dana Grover, Nick McShea, Tyler Aber, Dan Pellechio, Danielle Hanlon, and Adam Walker earned a second place Outstanding Delegation Award.
The Chinese Delegation of Grace Ison, Cassy DeBacco, Emma Patterson, Liam Gaynor, Mackenzie Osborn, Lena Ison, Alexa Patsey and Sam Glaser earned a first place Best Delegation Award.
These awards bring the team total to 25 for the school year.  This marks the third consecutive year that the team has eclipsed the 20 award plateau and won awards at every conference attended.  Congratulations to the entire 2015-2016 Riverview Model UN Team on another impressive year.  
 

2016-2017 School Year

 

Pitt MUN 2016

On Monday, November 7, 2016, 28 Riverview students competed against approximately 450 students and 20 schools at the 20th annual University of Pittsburgh.   This conference marked the first competitive conference for the 2016-2017 Model UN season.  The team performed very impressively at the conference with many of our delegates leading their respective debates throughout the day.  I am pleased to report that the team began its season with some well deserved recognition, winning 4 awards at this conference.  Students winning individual awards at this conference were:
Emma Patterson, First Place Best Delegate as the Chinese Military Commander in the AD Hoc: South China Sea Committee
Tyler Aber, First Place Best Delegate as Carl Henric Svanberg in the BP Board of Directors Committee
Marina Pietz and Francesca Lio, First Place Best Delegation as the United States in the Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee
Dana Grover and Liam Gaynor, second place Position Paper Award for their paper as the United States in the Economic and Financial Committee
 

Princeton 2016

Over the weekend of November 17 - 20, 2016, 8 Riverview students participated in the annual Princeton Model United Nations Conference.  The conference was an opportunity for over 900 students from 5 different countries to come together to discuss historical topics and current world issues.  The Riverview team consisted of Tyler Aber, Nick McShea, Liam Gaynor, Ben Brumbaugh, Sydney Reyes, Patrick Scott, Calvin Hogate, and Grace Ison.  All members of the team were immersed into interesting scenarios to mimic past historical events such as the Chinese Civil War and Russian Revolution or asked to deal with current issues facing the diplomats of the world such as Cyber Terrorism and International criminals.  Two members of the team received award recognition for their work at the conference.  
Calvin Hogate - Third Place Honorable Delegate as the United States in NATO
Grace Ison - Third Place Honorable Delegate as Minister of Defense Antoni Macierewicz in the Polish Cabinet
Congratulations to the entire team for another great experience at PMUNC.  The team has now earned 6 awards for the 2016-2017 season and will next participate at the Model European Union Conference on December 9 and the Columbia Model United Nations Conference on January 12 - 15, 2017.
 

Duquesne MUN 2017

On Friday, January 27, 2017 19 Riverview students participated in the annual Duquesne Model United Nations. The Riverview team consisted of 13 freshmen, 5 sophomores and 1 junior.  The young team was asked to use the day as a learning conference and build upon its experience as we prepare for future conferences.  The team excelled in this role, becoming more comfortable with their negotiation and public speaking skills as the conference progressed.  The members of the team were involved in many discussions and made made proposals of solutions to the issues facing our current world.  I am pleased to report that a member of the team was recognized with an individual award at the conference.  
Pat Scott - First Place Best Delegate Award as Kenya in the Human Rights Council
Congratulations to the entire team on a great learning experience. 
 

Rome International MUN 2017

The Riverview Model United Nations team participated in its first international conference on March 24 - 28, 2017 in Rome, Italy.  The team was invited to attend the eleventh edition of the Rome International Model United Nations, a conference that had 450 participants from 26 high schools from 16 different countries.  The conference, which follows European THIMUN Model UN procedure, chose the theme of Nationalism for its 2017 focus and divided students into many different General Assembly and Economic and Social Council Committees in order to promote discussion of the problems facing the current world.  Model United Nations always enables students to discuss current issues, but holding these discussions with students who bring different cultural ideals and understandings to the conference opens the door to more fruitful and eye-opening conversations and solutions.  Over the course of 5 days, our students discussed, in English, the issues facing the people of the world with students from Istanbul, Mauritius, Romania, Jerusalem, Indian, Sweden, and many other countries.  In the shadow of Ancient History, our students became the decision makers of the future.  The members of the team, Tyler Aber, Dana Grover, Danielle Hanlon, Lena Ison, and Emma Patterson, were leaders throughout the five day simulation and their ideas and thoughts became the basis for many of the discussions during the conference.  
It is with pleasure that I announce that two of our students were recognized during the Closing Ceremonies of the  conference.
Danielle Hanlon - First Place Best Delegate for her role as a Syrian Delegate in the General Assembly 3: Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee
Emma Patterson - Second Place Outstanding Delegate for her role as a Syrian Delegate in the General Assembly 6: Legal Committee
Congratulations to all five Riverview delegates for their performance at the conference and for their interest in immersing themselves into an unfamiliar situation and embracing the challenge.  
 

Westminster MUN 2017

On Wednesday April 19, the Riverview Model UN team competed in its final conference of the year at the 9th Annual Westminster College Model United Nations Conference.  The 2016-2017 season was a watershed year for the team, competing in a record 9 conferences and taking our success overseas.  The year ended with continued success at Westminster with the team bringing home 6 awards.  The team represented the delegations of Czechia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom at the conference.  I am pleased to report that the United Kingdom delegation made history at Westminster becoming the first delegation in the 9-year history of the conference to win an award in each committee.  This success earned the United Kingdom delegation a First Place Best Delegation award at the conference and our team its seventh delegation award in the last eight years at the Westminster Model UN.  The names and awards of the students representing the United Kingdom delegation are listed below. 
Forrest Steele and Mikaela Collins - First Place Best Delegate Award in GA 1 - Disarmament and International Security Committee
Lena Ison and Grace Ison - First Place Best Delegate Award in UNICEF
Danielle Hanlon and Marina Pietz - Second Place Outstanding Delegate Award in GA 3 - Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee
Dana Grover and Christoph Hudack - Second Place Outstanding Delegate Award in 1945 San Francisco Conference
Emma Patterson - Third Place Honorable Delegate Award in Security Council
Congratulations to the entire Riverview Model United Nations Team on another successful year.  The team earned 16 awards this year at 6 different conferences.  A special thank you to our Seniors, Tyler Aber, Dana Grover, Danielle Hanlon, Lena Ison, and Emma Patterson for their dedication to the team and the program over the last four years.  Good luck as you continue your education at the next level.    Also, a thank you and good luck wish to Calvin Hogate, a junior, who is heading to Germany to complete his Senior year overseas.
 

2017-2018 School Year

 

Princeton 2017

Over the weekend of November 16 - 19, 2017, 9 Riverview students participated in the annual Princeton Model United Nations Conference.  The conference was an opportunity for over 900 students from 5 different countries to come together to discuss historical topics and current world issues. The Riverview team consisted of Nick McShea, Liam Gaynor, Patrick Scott, Marina Pietz, Lilly Noble, Forrest Steele, Jack Harden, Jake Shoop, and Mikaela Collins.  All members of the team were immersed into interesting scenarios to mimic past historical events such as World War II, the Taiping Rebellion, and Boer War or asked to deal with current issues facing the diplomats of the world such as Computer Hacking, the focus on "Fake News," and the Yemeni Civil War.  The young team performed very well learning a great deal about the expectations in a crisis committee and how to balance debate with negotiation and writing.  Also, one senior member of the team received award recognition for his work at the conference.  
Nick McShea won a Third Place Honorable Delegate as Sir Theophilus Shepstone, Secretary for Native Affairs for the British in the Boer War Joint Crisis Committee  
Congratulations to the entire team for another great experience at PMUNC.  
 

Pitt European Union 2017

On Friday, December 8, 2017, 17 Riverview students participated in the annual University of Pittsburgh Model European Union.  This simulation is a replication of the the workings of the European Union, therefore stressing consensus building in addition to the negotiation and public speaking found in the traditional Model UN activities.  Riverview students represented the nations of the Czech Republic, Norway, and Switzerland in three different committees discussing the issues of terrorism and migration on the European continent.  The students participating in the simulation were Marina Pietz, Valerie Fiore, Patrick Scott, Christoph Hudack, Sydney Reyes, Jake Shoop, Nick McShea, Seth Merryman, Ben Brumbaugh, Forrest Steele, Elizabeth Noble, Emily Pietragallo, Francesca Lio, Mikaela Collins, Liam Gaynor, Jack Harden, and Jake Glaser.  I am pleased to announce that the team of Nick McShea and Seth Merryman won a second place Outstanding Delegation award as Norway at the conference.  The Model UN team will now enjoy its winter break before competing in three conferences in January at Columbia University, Duquesne University, and Carnegie Mellon University. 
 

Duquesne MUN 2018

On Friday, January 26, 2018, 27 Riverview students competed in the annual Duquesne Model United Nations Conference.  The conference presented students the opportunity to debate in one of 6 committee rooms focusing on topics ranging from weaponization to the economic crisis in Venezuela.  Members of the Riverview team played an integral role in each debate and were rewarded for their dedication.  Winning awards for their performance at the conference were:
Sydney Reyes and Maya Watters, a second place Outstanding Delegation award as Germany in the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee.
Jake Shoop and Beth Shoop, a first place Best Delegation award as the Philippines in the Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
Nick McShea, a second place Outstanding Delegate award as Chancellor Konrad Adenauer in the Cold War Board of Directors room.
One of the most unique aspects of the Duquesne Conference are the overall conference awards presented at the Closing Ceremonies.  Most conferences present school delegation awards but Duquesne presents individual student awards (accompanied with a small scholarship to Duquesne University) to the top three delegates of the entire conference.  I am pleased to report that Nick McShea was recognized as the Third Place Honorable Delegate for the entire conference.
Congratulations to the award winners and to entire Riverview team for a great conference.
 

Crisis @ CMU 2018

On Sunday, January 28, 2018 the Riverview Model United Nations team capped off a productive weekend at the fifth annual Crisis and CMU Conference.  The weekend began with the team earning 4 awards at the Duquesne University Conference and culminated with a team of 12 students taking home 8 awards at the Carnegie Mellon University Conference. The two-day crisis conference at CMU included ten schools and assigned students roles in a fast-paced, high stakes game of revisionist history.  The conference focused primarily on three specific historical situations:  Italian Renaissance City-States, the division of North and South Sudan, and the Balkan Crisis of the 1990’s.  It was a great experience for all students gaining them experience in negotiation, critical thinking, and creative writing.  The twelve members of the team should all be recognized for their passionate debate and innovative ideas throughout the weekend.  The team consisted of two Juniors:  Jake Glaser and Seth Merryman, and ten Sophomores: Mikaela Collins, Valerie Fiore, Jack Harden, Francesca Lio, Lilly Noble, Emily Pietragallo, Marina Pietz, Eugene Pronio, Jake Shoop, and Forrest Steele. Members winning awards were: Mikaela Collins and Eugene Pronio – First Place Best Delegation as Hungary in the Bargaining in the Balkans Committee Marina Pietz – Honorable Mention as Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior in the South Sudan Room of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Committee Seth Merryman - Honorable Mention as Michael Milli Husein in the South Sudan Room of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Committee Forrest Steele - Honorable Mention as Fillipo de’Medici in the Milan Room of the Italian City States Committee Francesca Lio – Honorable Mention as Francesco Torriani in the Milan Room of the Italian City States Committee Lilly Noble - Honorable Mention as Tiziano Vecelli in the Venice Room of the Italian City States Committee Jack Harden - Honorable Mention as Alessandro de’Medici in the Florence Room of the Italian City States Committee Jake Glaser - Honorable Mention as Giovanni de’Medici in the Florence Room of the Italian City States Committee Congratulations to all team members for a great weekend.
 

Johns Hopkins 2018

During the weekend of February 8-11, 2018, the Riverview Model UN team competed at the 21st annual Johns Hopkins University Model United Nations Conference.  The team of Emily Pietragallo, Nick McShea, Ben Brumbaugh, Jack Harden, Jake Shoop, Forrest Steele, Jake Glaser, Marina Pietz and Sydney Reyes competed against 1,800 students representing schools from as far away as the Peoples' Republic of China.  The students were immersed into simulations debating the War of the Roses, the Post-WWII world, the Gilded Age and more.  I am pleased to report that the team wrapped up its winter season with two award winners at the conference.
Marina Pietz won a First Place Best Delegate Award as Peter Bashir Gbandi (Director of Parliamentary Affairs) in the Transitional Government of South Sudan Committee
Sydney Reyes won a Third Place Honorable Delegate Award as John Neville, First Marquess of Montague, in the Joint Crisis: War of the Roses - House of York Committee
Congratulations to all team members for a great conference.
This conference brings to a conclusion the winter season for the Model UN team.  Thus far in the 2017-18 School Year the team has won 17 awards.  
 

Westminster 2018

On Wednesday, April 11, the Riverview Model United Nations team competed in its penultimate conference of the 2017-2018 season.  26 Riverview students attended the tenth annual Westminster College Model United Nations Conference competing against students from 14 surrounding school districts.  The Riverview team was involved throughout the conference and was instrumental in the passing of many resolutions in each of the committee rooms.  I am pleased to report that the team won 4 awards at this conference.  
Sydney Reyes and Emily Pietragallo - First Place Best Delegates as Israel in the International Atomic Energy Agency
Jake Glaser and Seth Merryman - Honorable Delegates as Germany in the Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Council
Ben Brumbaugh and Jake Shoop - Honorable Delegates as the United States in the Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Council
Forrest Steele - Honorable Delegate as Kuwait in the United Nations Security Council
This conference marks the final time that our five senior members of the team, Ben Brunbaugh, Liam Gaynor, Nick McShea, Sydney Reyes, and Pat Scott (pictured above) will compete together.  At this time, I would like to publicly thank our seniors for their years of dedication and leadership.  
The Westminster conference brings the teams' award total to 21 for the entire year.  The team will wrap up the spring season and school year by attending the Cornell University Model United Nations on April 19-22. 
 

Cornell 2018

The Riverview Model United Nations Team competed at its final conference of the 2017-2018 school year on April 19-22, 2018 at Cornell University.  The Cornell Model United Nations Conference featured over 50 participating schools and 800 students, bringing together some of the strongest competition on the national Model UN circuit.  The Riverview team of Sydney Reyes, Pat Scott, Seth Merryman, Francesca Lio, Valerie Fiore, Mikaela Collins, Emily Pietragallo, Lilly Noble, and Eugene Pronio were involved in a weekend of intense debate focusing on issues in the African Union, to corruption in the International Olympic Committee, to Fake News policy.  The team performed very well with many members in the discussion for awards at the end of the conference.  The team took home one award from our first trip to the Cornell Conference:
Francesca Lio - Third Place Honorable Delegate for her role as the Twitter Fake News Policy Representative in the Fake News Task Force.
With the season coming to a close, the team totaled 22 awards for the school year and was recognized with at least one award at every conference attended this school year.  Thank you to all members of the team for your hard work and dedication.  
 

2018-2019 School Year

University of Pittsburgh Model UN, 2018

On Tuesday, November 13, 2018  the University of Pittsburgh hosted its 22nd Annual Model United Nations Conference for local high schools.  Twenty students from Riverview participated in this first competitive conference of the 2018-19 season debating significant world issues such as food price volatility, urban development in developing nations, and cyber espionage.  Three members of the team were awarded for their performance in negotiation and debate and were recognized at the closing ceremony. 

Forrest Steele won a Best Delegate in Ethics award for his role as the Peoples' Republic of China in the United Nations Security Council.

Jake Shoop and Katie Zatawski won an Honorable Delegation award for their role as the Peoples' Republic of China in the Economic and Social Council.

 
 

Princeton University, 2018 

Over the weekend of November 15-18, 2018, nine members of the Riverview Model United Nations team participated at the annual Princeton University Model United Nations Conference.  This conference brought together approximately 900 students from 6 different continents to debate many historical issues as well as those impacting the current world.  The team of seniors Jake Glaser and Seth Merryman, juniors Valerie Fiore, Jack Harden, Lilly Noble, Emily Pietragallo, Mikaela Collins, and sophomores Lauren Hornsby and Sydney Wilson participated in seven committee sessions over the four day weekend debating issues such as the control of the Far East during the rise of Japan, the fate of France in World War I, the Ottoman siege of Constantinople, the rise of the oceans, and drug cartels in South America. 

Lauren Hornsby won a Second Place Outstanding Delegate Award as Ahn Changho in the Joint Crisis Rise of Korea committee.

Jack Harden won a Third Place Honorable Delegate Award as Ma Bufang in the Joint Crisis Rise of China committee.

Congratulations to the Riverview team for a great performance at PMUNC. 

 
 

University of Pittsburgh Model EU, 2018

On Friday, December 7, 2018, 18 members of the Riverview Model United Nations Team participated in the 14th annual University of Pittsburgh Model European Union.  The Model European Union conference centered around discussion of Brexit and solidifying the Trans-Atlantic partnerships of the EU.  At the Model European Union, students must build consensus on ideas and plans working toward a common goal on which all members of the union can agree.  One-third of our participants were recognized for their excellence in debate as honorable delegates at the conference.

Forrest Steele and Daniel Donatucci as Hungary

Valerie Fiore and Sydney Wilson as Austria

Jakob Killmeyer and Katie Zatawski as Austria

Congratulations to all members of the Riverview Model United Nations team on a successful Fall Season.  The team won 7 awards during the fall season and is looking toward the winter conference season that will take us to Duquesne University, Johns Hopkins University, and Rome, Italy

 

Duquesne University, 2019 

On Friday, January 25, 32 members of the Riverview Model UN team competed at the annual Duquesne Model UN Conference.  The team had participants representing 17 different delegations in six different committees debating topics including the reintegration of prisoners, the effect of fracking, and war crimes in Tibet.  The 32 member team consisted of 12 Freshmen, who like the upperclassmen, used the annual local conference as a training opportunity for the upcoming conferences in the Spring Semester.   Congratulations to all team members for their performance at the conference.  Four team members were specifically recognized for their performance at the conference bringing the team award total to 9 for the school year. 

Jake Shoop and Jakob Killmeyer were recognized as First Place Best Delegates for their role as Mexico in General Assembly 3: Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Committee

Lauren Hornsby and Eleni Wyrick were recognized as Second Place Outstanding Delegates for their role as Australia in the United Nations Environmental Programme

The team will next compete at the Johns Hopkins Model United Nations the weekend of Feb 7-10, 2019.

 
 

Johns Hopkins Model United Conference, 2019 

The weekend of February 7-10, 2019 saw 9 Riverview Model UN students participate in the 22nd annual Johns Hopkins Model United Nations Conference.  This conference hosted 1400 students from 87 different high schools including schools from the west coast (California) and China.   Every individual on the team gained tremendous experience, received some great constructive feedback, and honed their skills of diplomacy and negotiation during the weekend.  Our delegates were commended throughout the conference for their creative ideas, perceptive abilities, and thorough training.   Two of our team were recognized for their performance this weekend.

Marina Pietz won Second Place Outstanding Delegate for her role as Luisa Ortega Diaz in President Nicolas Maduro's Cabinet of 2013

Forrest Steele won Third Place Honorable Delegate for his role as the Russian Federation in the United Nations Security Council.

Congratulations to the entire Hopkins team of Valerie Fiore, Lauren Hornsby, Jacob Killmeyer, Katie Zatawski, Emily Pietragallo, Jake Shoop, Seth Merryman, Marina Pietz and Forrest Steele for a great weekend.  The entire Model UN team now has 11 awards for the year and will next travel to Rome for an international conference in March.

 
 

Rome International Model United Nations Conference, 2019 

Over the dates of March 18-27, 2019, five members of the Riverview Model United Nations Team traveled to Europe to participate in the 13th annual Rome International Model United Nations Conference. After a few days of sightseeing in order to acclimate to the time change, the conference began at the Italian Parliament building. International Model United Nations conferences require a level of collaboration unseen at many of the domestic conferences. For five days, our delegates proposed ideas, discussed solutions, and negotiated compromises with over 600 students from 35 different schools located in 16 different countries and 4 continents. The RIMUN conference prides itself on its focus on collaboration therefore rewarding only the top delegates, announcing only the best delegate in each committee room. The team of Jacob Glaser, Jack Harden, Elizabeth Noble, Marina Pietz, and Jacob Shoop gained personal confidence and the respect of students around the world with their public speaking and writing skills and desire to collaborate on international issues. They were involved throughout the five-day conference receiving regular positive feedback from their chairs and fellow delegates. At the closing ceremonies, three team members were recognized as first place, best delegates in their respective rooms.

Jake Glaser for his role as India in the Economic and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific

Marina Pietz for her role as India in the Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Council of the General Assembly

Jake Shoop for his role as India in the Human Rights Council

Congratulations to the entire team for an amazing conference.

 
 

Cornell 2019

Over the weekend of April 11-14, 2019, nine members of the Riverview Model United Nations Team participated in the annual Cornell University Model United Nations Conference.  This spring conference, attended by 600+ students from schools on three continents marks the final travel conference for the 2018-2019 school year for the team.  The team of Forrest Steele, Francesca Lio, Mikaela Collins, Dan Donatucci, Katie Zatawski, Eleni Wyrick, Beth Shoop, Jakob Killmeyer, and Sydney Wilson competed against the best schools in the circuit on issues such as gangs in South America, the current issues in Syria, and historical rooms dealing with the Bangladesh independence movement and Texas Revolution. 

Francesca Lio was recognized as Second Place Outstanding Delegate for her role as the President Provisional of Bangladesh -Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the Joint Crisis Committee: Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 - India and Allies

Congratulations to the entire team on a great end to the travel season.  The team will compete in one additional local conference to end the school year at Westminster College.

 
 

Westminster 2019

On Monday, April 15, 2019, 15 members of the Riverview Model UN team participated in the 11th annual Westminster College Model United Nations Conference.  This small local conference marks the end of the entire 2018-2019 Model UN season for the team.  The 15 member team had  very involved day of debate and negotiation discussing issues such as the crisis in Venezuela, guidelines for cloning, water purification, and international health standards.  Two members of the team were recognized with individual awards at this conference and the French delegation recieved a team award.

Jakob Killmeyer won Second Place Outstanding Delegate for his role as South Africa in General Assembly 6: Legal Committee

Valerie Fiore won Third Place Honorable Delegate for her role as France in the United Nations Security Council

The entire French Delegation of Xavier Bear, Emily Pietragallo, Alexus McDaniels, Lilly Noble, Jake Shoop, Jake Glaser, Valerie Fiore, and Jack Harden was recognized as the Second Place Outstanding Delegation for the Conference.

The Riverview Model United Nations team ends its 2018-2019 season with 18 awards.  In addition, the team was recognized with at least one award at every conference attended for the second school year in a row.  Congratulations to all members of the Model UN team for its success again this year.

 

2019-2020 School Year

University of Pittsburgh Model UN, 2019

On November 4 at the 23rd annual University of Pittsburgh Model United Nations Conference our Riverview  team earned unprecedented recognition for their successful performance at this event.  The team of 25 Riverview students won a total of 12 awards across 8 different committees, with at least one Riverview student being recognized in each of the committee rooms at the conference.  This conference marks an impressive start to the 2019-2020 Model UN season and leaves the team excited to attend their upcoming conference at Princeton University on November 14-17.  The members of the team being recognized for their performance at the conference are as follows:

Jake Shoop - First Place Best Delegate for his role as Cote d'Ivoire in the United Nations Environment Programme

Jakob Killmeyer - First Place Best Delegate for his role as Guatemala in the United Nations Legal Committee

Lauren Hornsby - First Place Best Delegate for her role as Guatemala in the International Labour Organization

Katie Zatawski - Second Place Outstanding Delegate for her role as Cote d'Ivoire in the United Nations Security Council

Marina Pietz - Second Place Outstanding Delegate for her role as Cote d'Ivoire in the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Sydney Wilson - Second Place Outstanding Delegate for her role as Guatemala in the United Nations Environment Programme

Forrest Steele - Third Place Honorable Delegate for his role as Armenia in the Ad Hoc - Dissolution of the Soviet Union Committee

Mikaela Collins - Third Place Honorable Delegate for her role as Guatemala in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Council

Francesca Lio - Third Place Honorable Delegate for her role as Guatemala in the United Nations Development Programme

Eleni Wyrick - Third Place Honorable Delegate for her role as Chile in the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Dom Geahry - Third Place Honorable Delegate for his role as Greece in the United Nations Environment Programme

In addition to the individual recognition listed above, the delegation of Cote d'Ivoire (Valerie Fiore, Marina Pietz, Jake Shoop, and Katie Zatawski) was recognized as the Best Overall Large delegation for the entire conference.

Congratulations to the entire team for an amazing season opening performance!

 
 

Princeton University, 2019

Over the weekend of November 14-17, 2019, nine members of the Riverview Model United Nations Team participated at the annual Princeton University Model United Nations Conference.  The conference brought together approximately 1,000 delegates from over 15 different countries and 6 continents.  The Riverview team of seniors Dan Donatucci, Jack Harden and Francesca Lio; juniors Lauren Hornsby, Jakob Killmeyer, Beth Shoop, Eleni Wyrick and Katie Zatawski; and sophomore Julia Ciorra spent four days immersed in debate concerning the militarization of the Arctic, ownership of the Suez Canal, Venezuelan political changes, and the post 9-11 world, among other issues.  All members of the team played a key role in the discussions in their committees and received positive feedback from the leaders of the conference.  In fact, four members of the team were recognized for their performance with awards at the conference.

Lauren Hornsby was recognized as second place Outstanding Delegate for her role as Randy "Duke" Cunningham in the Congress: 9-11 Joint Commission

Francesca Lio was recognized as third place Honorable Delegate for her role as Kathleen Hawk Sawyer in the Department of Justice: 9-11 Joint Commission

Jack Harden was recognized as third place Honorable Delegate for his role as Imam Musa Al-Sadr in the Lebanese Civil War Committee

Julia Ciorra was recognized as third place Honorable Delegate for her role as Germany in the NATO

Congratulations to the entire team on a great performance at PMUNC!  The team has now won a total of 16 awards on the young Model UN season.  The team is next in action at the University of Pittsburgh Model European Union on December 4.

 

Columbia 2020

The Riverview Model United Nations Team began its spring season over the weekend of January 16-19, 2020 in New York City at the 19th annual Columbia University Model United Nations Conference and Exposition.  The team of six seniors (Mikaela Collins, Valerie Fiore, Jack Harden, Marina Pietz, Jake Shoop, and Forrest Steele) faced strong competition and empowered debate from students visiting the states from New Zealand, Sweden, and Venezuela as well as some very strong domestic delegates.  With a visit to the United Nations Headquarters packaged in between seven debate sessions focusing on very unique and challenging topics, our students had a busy and productive weekend perfecting their 21st Century skills of negotiation, listening, and collaboration.  At CMUNCE XIX, the team was awarded three individual awards.

Marina Pietz won a First Place Best Delegate award for her role as Pak Hon-yong in the Plotting Independence: Koreans in Exile Committee

Jack Harden won a Third Place Honorable Delegate award for his role as Monsignor Juan Antonio Rivera II in the Moros y Christianos: Islamic Spain (11th Century) Committee

Jake Shoop won a Third Place Honorable Delegate award for his role as Hasdrubal the Fair in the Punic Wars (Carthage) Committee

Congratulations to the entire team of Columbia delegates on a great weekend.  These three awards bring the team total of awards for the 2019-2020 school year to twenty (20).  The team is back in action at the local Duquesne Conference on January 31 and on the road again in February for its annual trip to the Johns Hopkins Model United Nations.  

 

Duquesne University, 2020

On Friday, January 31, 2020, 30 members the Riverview Model United Nations team began the second half of the 2019-2020 season at the annual Duquesne University Model United Nations Conference.  The Riverview team participated on a wide range of committees during the day with topics focusing on current topics such as the melting Arctic Circle and Catalonian Separatist movement, historical topics such as international aggression in 1938, and futuristic topics such as the Space Race of 2075.  While all members of the team were influential delegates in their committee debates, seven members of the team were recognized for their performance during the conference with many others in the running for additional recognition.  The seven members gaining recognition in the form of four awards were: 

Jake Shoop and Liam McElligott - First Place Best Overall Delegates for the entire conference for their role as South Korea in the World Trade Organization. 

Forrest Steele - First Place Best Delegate for his role as France in the United Nations Security Council 

Marina Pietz and Jakob Killmeyer - First Place Best Delegates for their role as Carles Puigdemont in the Catalonian Crisis 

Jack Harden and Lauren Hornsby - Second Place Outstanding  Delegates for their role as Emmanuel Macron in the Catalonian Crisis. 

As always, congratulations to the entire team for their performance and for remaining professional and respectful throughout the entirety of the conference.  The four awards brings the team total to 24 for the school year.  The team is back in action next week at the Johns Hopkins Model United Nations Conference.  

 
 

Riverview Wins Best Small School Delegation at Johns Hopkins 2020


Over the weekend of February 6-9, 2020, a group of eight members of the Riverview Model United Nations Team attended the 23rd annual Johns Hopkins Model United Nations Conference.  This conference, the largest that the team attends each year, was host to approximately 1500 students from 82 schools and three countries (Israel, Kuwait, and the United States).   The conference had students debating current issues such as the Catalonian independence movement, how to care for people facing the threat of arboviral diseases, and rights for women on the African continent as well as historical issues such as the 1967 Middle East conflict and Japanese governmental policies of 2018.   We are pleased to announce that the Riverview team consisting of seniors Marina Pietz, Emily Pietragallo, and Jake Shoop, juniors Lauren Hornsby, Jakob Killmeyer, Sydney Wilson, and Katie Zatawski, and sophomore Dom Geahry was recognized as the Best Small School Delegation for the entire conference.  This is the second time that the team has won this award at the Johns Hopkins conference (2015).  In addition to being recognized as one of the the two top schools at the conference, the team won seven individual awards:

Marina Pietz was recognized as First Place Best Delegate for her role as Muhammadu Buhari in the Cabinet of Nigeria

Lauren Hornsby was recognized as First Place Best Delegate for her role as Juan Ignacio Zoido Alverez in the Government of Spain

Jakob Killmeyer was recognized as Second Place Outstanding Delegate for his role as Saad El Shazly in the Arab Republic of Egypt

Sydney Wilson was recognized as Second Place Outstanding Delegate for her role as Iran in the World Health Organization

Katie Zatawski was recognized as Second Place Outstanding Delegate for her role as Tunisia in the Pan African Parliament

Dom Geahry was recognized as Second Place Outstanding Delegate for his role as Iran in the United Nations Children's Fund

Jake Shoop was recognized as Third Place Honorable Delegate for his role as Ken Saito in Shinzo Abe's Cabinet of Japan

Congratulations to the entire team for this accomplishment.  These eight awards bring the team total to a new team record of 32 awards for the school year.  The team will next be in action at the Rome International Model United Nations Conference in March. 


For Historical Reflection:  This was the final conference that we were able to participate in during the 2019-2020 school year.  While we had conferences scheduled for Rome, Cornell, and Westminster the world was hit with the COVID-19 pandemic.  We were not able to participate in another conference until December 2020 in a virtual format.

 

The 2011-2020 years were the years that put Riverview on the map.  The students really began to train and believe in each other.  This showed in their successes at the many conferences attended.