 | Public Speaking is incorporated through all levels of the curriculum at St. John's. Students learn to express themselves with confidence, and support their ideas with logical and effective arguments. Public speaking in the classroom benefits students by developing their presentation skills. It builds a student’s confidence and encourages them to explore different perspectives related to an issue.
St. John’s offers public speaking and debate opportunities. In addition to local tournaments, St. John's is a member of the International Independent Schools Public Speaking League (IISPSL). The IISPSL competition is an annual event at which participants gather from around the world to compete. Our debaters have participated in the League’s international tournament since 2001. |
| Destination Imagination is a challenge-based programme in which students from Kindergarten through Grade 7 work throughout the academic year to solve mind-bending problems and work as a team to find creative solutions. Starting in Rising Stars, primary students learn the fundamentals of problem solving and cooperation. As they move into the full Destination Imagination programmes in Grades 4-7, the challenges become more complex and students work on solutions for many months before presenting them at tournaments. The St. John's Destination Imagination teams compete at the regional, provincial and global level. SJS has been invited to the Global Tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee for the last four years, competing against teams from fourteen countries around the world. |
| Chess clubs at St. John's range from Primary Beginner's club to the Senior School team which competes in regional, provincial and international tournaments each year. Students are coached on strategy while competing against their peers in practice. Students of all levels are encouraged to participate and improve their skills. |
School Reach is based on a gameshow, Reach for the Top, formerly aired on CBC. This challenge features teams of four students matching wits against another team of students in a trivia game similar to "Jeopardy!" School Reach is a popular programme in many schools across Canada.
As preparation for inter-school games and competitions, the School Reach team meets once a week and is open to all Senior School students. Team members are encouraged to explore certain areas in more detail depending on their personal interest. Trivia books, encyclopedias and the internet are excellent sources for trivial facts. The SJS Senior and Junior teams compete both regionally and provincially. |
The Model United Nations (MUN) programme aims to promote awareness of current global issues, the benefits of cooperation and the functions and structure of the United Nations. Students in the Senior School have the opportunity to develop skills in research, debate, negotiation and cooperation. Annually, members of the SJS MUN programme attend a conference with students from around North America to deliberate current events and issues and work together to build relationships to allow for effective solutions.
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| | In spring 2012, after earning a spot on Team Canada, student debater Zephi Kramer travelled to Australia for the World Individual Public Speaking and Debate Championships, with students representing eleven countries, including the United States, Hong Kong, South Africa, India, Israel, Lithuania, and Cyprus. Zephi was one of only 14 students nation-wide who qualified to represent Team Canada.
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