News & Events

News

2024

  • CDS Debaters All Advanced to Finals at World Championships

    CDS experienced several firsts last week at the World Individual Debating & Public Speaking Championships (WIDPSC) held at Canberra Girls Grammar School in Canberra, Australia.
     
    Ethan Wahba ’24, Millie Steinmann ’25 and Sarah Croxon ’24 competed in a total of eight finals for CDS, with both Ethan and Millie emerging as World Champions.

    According to their coach Kerstin Wyndham-West, who has led the debating program for more than 20 years, “We have never had two students win their individual categories in the same year, and all three made it to eight of the possible 12 finals! That is a record for CDS.”

    In the individual events, Ethan is World Champion of Interpretive Reading and finished 3rd in Debating, and Millie is World Champion of Persuasive Speaking. Overall Ethan was the 3rd place speaker, Millie was 9th and Sarah was 18th out of 124 students representing 15 countries. 

    All three students chose thought-provoking topics and readings to present on. Here some
    highlights:

    “For my interpretive reading, I performed the short story Going Grapefruit by Ian Richards. This story follows a man who is hit by a car and incurs a traumatic injury which changes the way his brain processes language, in his new language words take on seemingly random meanings. I chose this piece because it reminds us that understanding others is much more than just the words people use, but rather the tone and emotion that comes with it.” – Ethan Wahba ’24

    “I presented a persuasive speech about the hidden dangers of energy drinks, particularly for teenagers. Companies like Red Bull specifically market to young people by hiring college students to handout free drinks on university campuses. I don’t think people realize just how much caffeine is in these drinks. Just one can contains as much as six cans of Coke, way more than the recommended daily allowance of caffeine for kids, which can have a really dangerous effect on your heart and long-term health.” – Millie Steinmann ’25

    “My persuasive speech looked at the growing problem of the tipping culture across North America. Ever since the pandemic, it has become a growing issue. I feel people should be able to do what they want when it comes to leaving a gratuity. I really enjoyed writing and performing this speech because it is a topic that everyone can relate to in some way.” – Sarah Croxon ’24
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  • World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships

    Exciting news from the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in Australia - our three debaters have all advanced to the finals! Ethan Wahba '24 will be competing in all 4 event finals, and Sarah Croxon '24 and Millie Steinmann '25 will compete in two each. We wish them all the best! 
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  • CDS to Host One Week of Canada's Debate Camp: June 17-21

    We are excited to announce that Canada’s public speaking and debating camp, Debate Camp 2024, for students in Grades 5-10 is holding a one-week camp program at CDS this summer from June 17-21. Run by experienced educators, Debate Camp directors believe in providing an academic enrichment opportunity to youth across Canada and the Northeastern United States via a set of exceptionally well-organized, safe and accredited summer camps. Debate Camp believes in a well-balanced program where an academic focus is combined with opportunities for traditional camp games, and a fun and inspiring approach to learning.
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  • Students Qualify for Junior High Speech Nationals

    Last Saturday, CDS hosted the 2024 Ontario Qualifier for the Junior Nationals for students in Grades 7-9. Anna Druta ‘28 and Liam Gunning ‘27 participated in the tournament alongside 34 other students from 10 different schools.
    Read More
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Land Acknowledgment

The Country Day School wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. Our nearest Indigenous Nations are now the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant is often cited as an example of the shared responsibility for caring for these lands among the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples who would call these their traditional territories. CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection to this land can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations.

School Information

13415 Dufferin Street King, Ontario L7B 1K5 
(905) 833-1220 

communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca

Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.

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