Kenmore East Wins WNY Model UN Competition for 20th Time

Kenmore East High School once again won top honors at the annual WNY Model United Nations General Assembly competition on Tuesday, March 17th. The Kenmore East team, led by social studies teacher Christopher Knab, earned the highest distinction possible, Best Overall Delegation, for the 20th time.

Competition was fierce at this year’s event, which was one of the largest ever in WNY. Nearly 900 students competed as part of 76 individual delegations from 47 different schools. Students worked as part of small teams in different rooms, each of which represented a different UN committee, and each delegation represented a different nation. This year, Kenmore East represented the nation of Belgium.

Kenmore East entered the competition having won it an astounding 19 times since 2002 and students worked as hard as ever to continue the team’s amazing record.

“Joining a team that has had so much success in the past definitely put a lot of pressure on me, but it was what pushed me to try my hardest and succeed,” said senior Julia Crawford.

"Knowing how successful the team had been in the past definitely did cause some stress, but was also a great source of motivation because I wanted to be a part of the legacy," said senior Rylie Harmon.

“I definitely felt more pressure to succeed in Model UN due to our school's strong track record,” said senior Emma Cudzilo. “Despite all the pressure, I didn't have many doubts on how we'd perform.”

At the event, students debated some of the most important issues facing the world today. They were evaluated based on their understanding of the issues involved, their knowledge of the country they represented, and their familiarity with parliamentary procedure as well as their debate skills. 

Kenmore East's long-term success inspired delegations from other schools to take light-hearted measures to put the team at a disadvantage, such as a motion to move team members to the back of the room to intentionally limit their contributions. These efforts fell short in the end, and winning the competition was particularly special because Mr. Knab is retiring at the end of this year.

"Model UN was an incredible experience for me," said senior Logan Fey, who served as team captain. "There is just something about a room full of hundreds of people cheering as you walk down to the front knowing that you were part of the reason that your team got to be recognized for such an amazing accomplishment.”

“My favorite moment had to have been running down the stairs after the announcer called first place for Belgium. It felt absolutely exhilarating," said senior Miguel Flores.

In addition to the Best Overall Delegation distinction, Kenmore East also placed first in three different committees: the Social, Cultural & Humanitarian Committee, the Political & Security Committee, and the Ad Hoc Political & Security Committee.

The event was hosted by the International Institute of Buffalo and took place at the University at Buffalo’s North Campus. Students credit hard work, perseverance, and Mr. Knab’s guidance for their success.

"Mr. Knab couldn't have been a better advisor and role model for me, and I am so grateful to have been able to be taught everything we learned about the competition by such an amazing mentor,” Logan said.

Other team members included Abigail Banaszak, Mena Cortes, Tyler Kent, Madison Kopec, Kasia McGregor, Lola Norris, Addie Rejewski, Rowan Riley, Natasha Stanko, Fatemeh Tajik, Callie Torchia, Cole Wahler, and Ben Wojnowski.