From March 26 to March 28, HOSA students competed in the Spring Leadership Conference in Toronto, held at the Metro Convention Centre. The conference takes place annually, but for our students, this year was filled with extra excitement and success.
After departing at 3:00 pm Wednesday, March 26, students arrived at the InterContinental and rushed to get to their rooms to begin their final preparations for the competition day. Some studied, while others practiced their scripts and made final touches to their presentations. Everyone was filled with nerves and excitement.
On Thursday, March 27, after an inspiring opening ceremony, the majority of students competed in their event competitions and participated in additional workshops, each and everyone representing our school with pride. After the day wrapped up at around 5, many students were left to go off on their own. Whether that meant going out for dinner with friends or staying in with roommates, it was just the break they all needed after the eventful day.
“We just went out for dinner and then when we came back to our room we just watched TV and chilled. It was so much more fun than the first night ‘cause before we were all busy locking in, but then after we all competed, we just had fun,” mentioned a Grade 11 HOSA competitor.
Friday, March 28 was a calmer day for many but for the others that continued to compete, it was much more chaotic. With checking out of the hotel, ensuring that they’ve been to workshops, and even catching up on missed school work, students were occupied throughout the day.
The awards ceremony began in the afternoon, and teams and individual competitors were called up for positions in the Top 10 of their events. Our school demonstrated great success in this year’s Spring Leadership Conference, with multiple students making the top 10 and a few teams even qualifying for HOSA’s International Leadership Conference (ILC) that will take place in June in Nashville, Tennessee.
A grade 10 student mentioned, “It was such a unique experience because it was my first time doing something like this, and I loved it. The vibe of the place, and getting to stay with my friends in a hotel was all great.”
We couldn’t be more proud of our HOSA chapter and everyone who competed. Best of luck to the teams who qualified for ILC, and we look forward to seeing what amazing things our members will continue to do in the coming years.
THE NORTH STAR 