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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, September 17, 2015 | 24 Students talk a good game at WOSS debate camp by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff Marium Vahed had a lot to talk about when she returned home from summer camp. After all, she'd been drafting up argument after argument and debating current issues at length as part of the debate camp, which ran at White Oaks Secondary School Aug. 24-28. She was among nearly 40 students participating in the program run by the high school's debate teams. Now in its third year, the week-long camp has grown to include students from Grades 6-11 from schools across Halton. Vahed, a Grade 11 student at White Oaks and a member of the debate team, said she signed up for camp to prepare for the school year ahead. Debating, she says, helps you organize your thoughts and think on your feet. "It makes every aspect of your life better," she said, noting the more you do it, the more you become confident. What she enjoys most about it is it forces her to see both sides of an issue. "It helps me appreciate the merits of both sides," said the 16-year-old. White Oaks English teacher and debate coach Hamish Guthrie said the camp began as a way to create an enriching experience for those at White Oaks, while raising money for the teams' tournament fees and travel costs. White Oaks Secondary School (WOSS) hosted a summer debate camp, with 37 students from Grades 6 to 11 taking part. Pictured, Luke Everest, 13, (left) a T.A. Blakelock H.S. student, preps for the afternoon debate session with teammate Gauthier Boyrie, 16, a White Oaks student. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) Over the years, it has evolved as a way for debate students to share their passion and experience with others in the community and foster a love for the art. Taha Ahmed, a White Oaks graduate who headed to Western University in London this month, said he gave up part of his summer to help run the camp because he wanted to share with others what debating has given to him. "If you can overcome the fear (of public speaking), which so many have, you learn so much," said Ahmed, who began debating when he was in Grade 9. He said being able to help the inexperienced debaters get past the learning curve and learn the valuable skills is rewarding. "It helps in classroom presentations, any impromptu talking. The benefits -- I can't even begin to mention how many there are," he said. Dasha Metropolitansky and Kiara Hassan, who are both on the 2016 Canadian national debate team, echoed Ahmed's remarks, noting that being part of the White Oaks debate team enriched their lives. "It encourages us to think about things, not just to accept them and question them," said Hassan, a Grade 12 student. "Debate is the art of intelligent conversation," added Metropolitansky, who is in Grade 10. "So, basically it helps you (to) be able to talk with a lot of different people about various subjects and to have developed thoughts about them." The pair said other perks include making lasting friendships, meeting other like-minded individuals and getting to travel the world. Metropolitansky has competed in England, Turkey, the Czech Republic and more recently Singapore. Guthrie said he's planning to host an information night at White Oaks this month to encourage other schools to form their own debate team. For more information, email hguthrie@hdsb. ca. Keep a level head in an up - and - down market.