High school students from across the province were given a unique opportunity to showcase their competitive mettle and take a crack at winning a business program scholarship this month, thanks to the inaugural Sask. Polytech case competition.
Sask. Polytech had partnered with the Moose Jaw Warriors Hockey Club for the competition, with the goal of developing a case program bearing real-world value to the team.
Contest winners were announced in Sask. Polytech’s Macoun Lounge on Nov. 14. Altogether, winners included six teams with two teams winning the top rank in each separate category.
The first-place winners each received over $2,300 in tuition scholarship to the school’s business diploma program. From Lumsden High School, Aiden Hill, Hudson Chabot, Rafe Kish, and Jackson Patterson won first in their category. From Campbell Collegiate in Regina, first-place winners were Jade Williams, Claire Parker, and Luke Binns.
The second-place winners each received $500 in tuition for the program, along with Moose Jaw Warriors merchandise. From Langenburg Central School, Blakely Hildebrandt, Lily Faul, Carla Wondrasek, and Emily Hertlein won first place in their category. From Swift Current Composite High School, first-place winners were Elijah Siemens, Nethanial Singbeil, and Austin Robinson.
Third place winners each received merchandise from Sask. Polytechnic.
“It’s an event where we’ve brought together 115 high school students from 14 high schools across the province as far as Langenburg, which is a three-hour drive away, and they made that trek this morning,” explained Stephen Kirzinger, one of the event organizers and the program head in the school’s business diploma program with a sport management specialization.
“The main purpose of the event is to expose students to Sask. Polytech and the Polytechnic advantage,” he said. This advantage, according to Kirzinger, is the unique way that Sask. Polytech teaches through applied learning as compared to a university program. This advantage includes the hands-on experience gained by these students as they interacted with the Moose Jaw Warrior’s Hockey Club.
“This is what you do in our classroom. So, not only do students save a ton of money by doing the first two years of their business education here, but they also get the networking and the resume building opportunities, and faculty support that they don’t get in all post-secondary environment.
“If they complete their first two years in our business diploma program and transfer it over to complete their degree, not only are they going to have an amazing educational experience, but they’re also going to save over $8,400 in tuition alone in the process,” Kirzinger explained.
“Also, we’re going to generate some great ideas in the case problem for the Moose Jaw Warriors, and that’s a big part of our partnership as well.”
Students were chosen after Kirzinger and other administrators reached out to a wide number of high schools across Saskatchewan.
“They kind of organized that on their own, so the schools picked the students on their own terms,” he said, noting that Sask. Polytech invited every team that responded with an interest in the competition.
Students were then able to pick their own teams, with a maximum team size of four members.
“We have 30 teams competing here, and so they had an hour and 45 minutes to read a one-page case scenario based on the business operations of the Moose Jaw Warriors,” Kirzinger said. “They then brainstormed ideas for how to address a problem in the case, which was actually selling tickets to a certain demographic of students.
“So, they put those ideas together, and put together a presentation within an (additional) hour and 45 minutes, and they’ve been presenting to a panel of judges. The judges are scoring each pitch, and we’re going to have winners in each judging room.
“Today we are awarding over $23,000 in scholarships and prizes to the students who came for the competition,” Kirzinger said.
Due to the successful conclusion of the first case competition, Kirzinger said the school is looking to offer the competition on an annual basis with upcoming dates to be announced if this is confirmed.
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