Beyond Winning the Debate: The Politics Club, Munk Debates, and Open Mike’s
Since 2022, the Politics Club has grown into one of the most vibrant communities at St. Michael’s College School (SMCS), drawing more than 100 students who gather each week to wrestle with the questions that shape our world.
The club’s mission is deliberately inclusive: to create a space where students with every viewpoint can explore ideas, examine the day’s news, and learn that disagreement, done well, is a sign of a healthy intellectual community.
“Students from all grade levels can be part of these conversations,” says Andrew Kos, moderator of the Politics Club. “Members participate in conversations which mature into a three-part education in citizenship—one that moves from low-stakes discussion among peers to encounters with the world’s foremost thinkers at the Munk Debates to students defending their own convictions before a live audience at Open Mike’s.”
That foundation is built week to week through after-school debates, guest speakers, and the club’s trademark ‘pizza and politics’ sessions, led by Kos and David Lee ’94, vice principal.
“Conversation flows as freely as the food,” notes Kos. “These gatherings give students a welcoming place to test ideas and listen generously to one another—and they have made the Politics Club a model for civic engagement at SMCS.”
Debating at the Highest Level
From there, the club’s partnership with the Munk Debates lifts students onto a far larger stage. Founded in 2008, Canada’s premier public debating forum convenes some of the world’s sharpest thinkers before audiences of more than 3,000 at Roy Thomson Hall and, more recently, Meridian Hall—where the crowd votes before and after each contest to decide which side has truly changed minds.
SMCS students have now attended seven consecutive debates, encountering figures such as Malcolm Gladwell, Douglas Murray, Mehdi Hasan, and Stephen Walt on subjects ranging from the trustworthiness of mainstream media to artificial intelligence, liberalism, and the ethics of foreign wars.
“Attending both Munk Debates this year was definitely a privilege,” says Pablo Arellano-Rubach, Grade 11. “Watching these seemingly stoic politicians lose their composure because of how much they cared about the issues was an eye-opening experience. Their passion encouraged me to participate in Open Mike’s, where I had the opportunity to express ideas that I am equally passionate about. The Politics Club’s willingness to engage with challenging topics is something truly special.”
These experiences are made possible by the remarkable generosity of Rudyard Griffiths, co-founder and chair of the Munk Debates and a parent in the SMCS community, who provides students with tickets and the chance to interact with him and the other debaters afterward. Between 10-15 students attend each debate alongside staff and returning alumni, building a network in which graduates mentor those who follow.
“Perhaps the truest measure of these evenings is the ride home: on the TTC after a Munk Debate, students often cannot stop talking, trading perspectives, pulling up counterarguments on their phones, and debating one another long after the formal contest has ended,” adds Kos. “Many credit these opportunities with inspiring them to study political science at university.”
Students Find Their Voice
Finally, students take the podium themselves at Open Mike’s, a debate series founded and led by Emile John ’87, vice principal, alongside Kos, and student organizers. Built on three pillars—Respectful Discourse, Diversity of Thought, and Intellectual Courage—Open Mike’s asks presenters to prepare and defend their own positions before peers and teachers, fielding questions from the floor.
The aim of Open Mike’s is not to win in the conventional sense, but to understand: to challenge ideas rather than people, to value disagreement rather than merely tolerate it, and to listen as generously as one speaks. Its first three debates carried real intellectual weight—whether there should be limits to free speech, whether public honours should be stripped from historical figures judged by today’s values, and, in a lighter turn, who deserves to be called the Greatest Athlete of All Time.
“As a member of the Politics Club, I have been generously given many opportunities to grow in a world where ideas become more controversial and complacency more abundant,” says Marco Boci, Grade 12. “Challenging ideas through debating at Open Mike’s was a major highlight of my Grade 12 journey, as I was given the opportunity to help inspire others to find their voices in subjects they might otherwise shy away from. In watching the Munk Debates, we saw heated ideas tested and debated by both famous and infamous individuals on many relevant topics. The Politics Club is an incredible group that allows you to mature respectfully and inquisitively, and I am forever grateful for the opportunities.”
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