Belle River District High School students Melanie Drescher and Ana-Maria Gramisteanu discuss arguments for and against raising the age of majority in preparation for their opening appearance in the debate tournament Friday at the Odette School of Business.
Holding the Odette Debate Tournament is a great way to promote the business school, says Mark Laschuk. A volunteer on the team that hosted about 100 competitors from 12 local high schools, he says the event gives those at the university level a chance to use the skills they develop in the classroom.
“It’s totally student-run and takes a lot of organization,” says Laschuk, also a captain for the team which represents the Odette School of Business in university-level debate. “Plus it’s a great way to get involved in the debate community and foster the future.”
Erin McMahon, a Grade 9 student at Sandwich Secondary School, says she joined her school’s club to help overcome her natural shyness.
“I wanted to come out of my bubble and try something I normally wouldn’t,” she says. “I like to meet the students from other schools and talk — and think — about an issue in new ways.”
Her coach Jarrod Ruston (BComm 2003) teaches business at Sandwich and is an alumnus of the University of Windsor. He likes to see the Odette students reaching out to engage with their high school counterparts.
“This event gets my students on campus,” he says. “They get to see what university is like and to participate in learning outside the classroom.”