Debate Club Wins Pro-Con Forum
St. Michael’s College School’s (SMCS) senior debate team members recently took home first place at the Ontario Pro-Con Debating Forum—the largest in Toronto and one with Basilian and SMCS roots. SMCS Senior Debate Team “Winning this competition is a big deal because it’s the biggest and only Pro-Con debating forum in Toronto,” says Ronan Zhong, Grade 12, who has been a member of the Debate Club since Grade 7. “Also, this is the first time St. Mike’s senior team has won first place in this tournament since 2000, so it’s a huge comeback for the programme.” The Ontario Pro-Con Debating Forum was founded in 1960 by Fr. Leo Burns, CSB, ’54 and Joe Younder, OSM, ’56, former SMCS faculty member. SMCS is also one of the founding members of the league. The 2026 finals, held at SMCS in the Campeau Lecture Hall, welcomed high school teams from around the city, including long-time rival De La Salle College, with which SMCS shares first place after a tie following the competition. “After three rounds of debate, St. Michael’s senior debate team of Ronan Zhong, David Li, Lucas Connop, and Edmund Mao accumulated four wins and was tied with rival De La Salle College,” says John Vella ’85. “It would come down to total points to decide the championship. In a highly improbable outcome, after 18 ballots per team, St. Michael’s and De La Salle were again tied with a total of 480 points.” Edmond Mao, Grade 12, also won a third place speaker prize at the debate. “I think that winning this forum was extremely significant for the reputation of St. Mike’s,” says Lucas Connop, Grade 12, who joined in Grade 11 with no prior experience. “When some people hear of St. Mike’s, they often think of the prestigious academics, athletics, and arts, but debate doesn’t usually come to
