Apr. 17, 2018
Asha and Jolie, Grade 9 students from Tom Baines School, are a force to be reckoned with. They have been on the top of the debate circuit all season, dominating in every tournament they have competed in. Now, they are representing Alberta and the Calgary Board of Education at the Canadian Nationals on May 4-6 in Calgary.
On March 10, Asha and Jolie received first place at the Alberta Provincials, held at Western Canada High School. They won all three of their rounds and were victorious against the top team from Edmonton in the finals. Asha also won third place speaker honours, as well as the Ann Bradley Award, given to a student showing the most enthusiasm and commitment to both debate and speech.
Throughout the year, Asha and Jolie have not only fine-tuned their own skills in persuasive speaking and debate, but they have also mentored over sixty students at Tom Baines School, and have shared their wisdom and strategies with our up and coming debaters. For the twentieth anniversary of Tom Baines School, Asha and Jolie were instrumental in organizing a ‘zoo–themed’ debate tournament in honour of the late Mr. Baines, the first employee of the Calgary Zoo and a renowned curator and educator.
Prior to the tournament, Jolie said, “We hope to make you and everyone else at Tom Baines proud at Provincials.” No matter what place they finished in, we would have been proud. Asha and Jolie are model citizens, who exemplify the CBE’s Results Policy on Citizenship, Character and Personal Development. The fact that they placed first place in the province and are set to take on teams from all across Canada is such an accomplishment. They are not leaders of tomorrow; they are leaders of today. And…there hasn’t been an argument they haven’t won. Best of luck at Nationals!
