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You’ve all heard that high school is all about the clubs that you join, so it’s important that you chose the right club. In order to do that you have to know what you’re getting into. Debate is a good option to consider, especially the White Oaks Debate Team.

 

Debate is a club where you could meet many like-minded people. People who love to question their beliefs. Not in a bad way, but in a way that makes you more respectful and open to different opinions. You begin to realize that there are many different viewpoints surrounding one topic, and that other people's opinions are not necessarily wrong. In fact, you might even realize that neither side is absolutely right. It allows you the opportunity to become more open-minded.

 

The Debate club meets every Tuesday for juniors (grade 9 and 10), and Thursdays for seniors (grade 11 and 12). Attendance is mandatory, as is usual for most clubs. The members are very competitive, but are enthusiastic and open to newcomers.  

 

Practises run from 3-5pm. Long, but every second of it will teach you something valuable about the world around us. The great thing about debate is that no experience is necessary in order for you to join the club. You will learn as you go.

 

Every week you learn something new, improve on your skills, and become a better

debater overall. The executives gives every debater thorough and professional critiques, which can be found in a handful of schools in Ontario. The executives also give great pep talks and encourage you to ask for help, if needed.

 

 

 

The White Oaks Debate is really good. I mean REALLY good. They’ve competed internationally, and come first against some of the best in the world. They participated in the Pan-American competition, where debate teams from North and South America come together and compete. Dasha Metropolitansky came first in the Pan-American debate championships while both Kiara Hassan and Dasha won the Oxford cup, the qualifier for the debate at Oxford University in England. They placed 17th out of 200 teams. Both Kiara and Dasha are on the National Canadian Debate Team.

 

Debate can seem intimidating, but with excellent executives, and a stern, but brilliant coach like Mr. Guthrie you can’t help but be drawn in by the enthusiasm of the people in the room. You really should consider joining debate. If you’re unsure, go in and watch a debate. Mr. Guthrie is always happy to oblige your interest in the debate team. Debate is a great way to practise your speaking skills, and open up doors that will help you in the future. People who join debate usually want to go into business, politics or law careers which are useful connections to have if you have similar career plans.

In short Debate is the place to be. Whether you plan on going into a career where speaking skills are very important , or you feel that this is a great opportunity to explore who you are. If you don’t know what you want to be when you graduate, debate can really open up doors, and is a great tool to have at your disposal. Try it out. You never know what you might discover about yourself.