I congratulate Winmalee High School students Aurora Edwards, Cassandra Pigram and Jazmin Moliterno, who won the prestigious Totenhofer Peace Prize at the Rotary Club of Canberra Sunrise’s 2026 Model United Nations Assembly, held at Old Parliament House in August. 

The students qualified for the national event by winning Rotary’s 2026 Western Sydney Model United Nations. 

Model UN gives students the opportunity to step into the role of United Nations delegates and debate major global issues through diplomacy and negotiation. I commend Winmalee High School for encouraging its students to engage in global affairs. 

The team represented Mexico and were supported by supervising teacher Kevin Joseph, who worked with the students to research Mexico’s foreign policy and prepare their positions on six resolutions. 

Their performance earned them the award for the best contribution to promoting world peace. I congratulate Aurora, Cassandra and Jazmin, thank Mr Joseph for his dedication, and wish them every success. The Blue Mountains community is very proud of them.