Top Delegation Award for Model UN Club
A St. Michael’s College School (SMCS) first was recently realized as the Model UN club distinguished itself at the largest Model United Nations conference in Toronto. Alongside taking home multiple individual awards, the club captured Best Overall Delegation for the first time at the 19th annual University of Toronto Model United Nations Conference (UTMUN), held January 29 to February 1, 2026. “This win is a huge milestone in the history of the Model UN club at SMCS,” says Francesco Bellissimo, teacher and one of the Model UN faculty moderators, along with Vanessa Iaboni. “While the club has had the honour of winning delegation awards at other Model UN conferences, these conferences were much smaller in scale. To win an award of this nature, at such a large conference like UTMUN, is truly an accomplishment.” UTMUN hosts high school delegation teams from all over the world and is the largest conference that SMCS participates in each year. “I have never felt so proud of St. Mike’s,” says Lucas Umali, Grade 12, who has been a member of the club since Grade 10. “Knowing that I can be the best on an international stage comforted me immensely, knowing that all my hard work and passion have paid off. But most importantly, and to my surprise, SMCS winning Best Overall Delegation put the biggest smile on my face. I’m proud to be a part of a monumental accomplishment in our school’s Model UN history, our first-ever delegation award at a prestigious conference with just six people.” In addition to the overall award, three SMCS delegates also took home awards in their respective committees: Umali and Austin Theal each won Best Delegate, and Ronan Zhong won Honourable Mention. “These conferences provide students with unique and exciting educational opportunities as they prepare resolutions to dynamic and real-world situations, participate in debates,
