Over the March Break, 32 students from MGCI’s Muslim Student Association participated in the Muslim Inter-Scholastic Tournament (MIST).
MIST is a competition for high school students, and contains a variety of categories from basketball to short film. The purpose of MIST is to develop and promote leadership, communication, and other creative skills in high school students while helping youth achieve a deeper understanding of Islamism and Muslims. Although MIST occurs in many American cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit, Toronto is the only Canadian city to host MIST. The 2015 Toronto MIST competition was held at the University of Toronto St. George Campus from 14 to 15 March, with an award ceremony on following on 16 March.
All in all, MGCI’s team did very well. The following awards were presented to MGCI team members:
Girls’ Basketball – Most Disciplined
Boys’ Basketball – Most Disciplined
Ameera Seiyad (Girls’ Soccer) – Most Valuable Player (Tournament)
Girls’ Soccer – 3rd place
Nasheeds – 3rd place
Research in Action – 3rd place
Business Venture – 3rd place
Knowledge Test – 3rd place
MGCI moved onto the finals in the Math Olympics, Photography, 2D Islamic Art, Short Film, and Boys’ Basketball. MGCI also participated in Improv, Debate, Scholastic (MIST) Bowl, Poetry: Spoken Word, Short Fiction, and Quran Recitation.
MIST contestants at the competition. Photo courtesy of Khadija Jawwad.
Throughout the preparation process, students were supported and coached by Mansour Ghazi and Ms. Ali. Students were also appreciative of the teachers for their dedication to the competition.
To participate in MIST, each student had to pay a $53 registration fee. To compensate for the high cost, the Muslim Student Association raised money by selling pizza on unhealthy food sale days, and spoke to organizations to get sponsors. The fundraising went well, and MSA was able to reimburse approximately 50% of each student’s fee.
Overall, MIST contestants had an enjoyable time at the competition. Students were able to display their talents while having fun. One participant, Khadija Jawwad, also liked that many Muslim and non-Muslim students, not only from Toronto, but also from Ajax, Waterloo, Kitchener, and Pickering, came to MIST.
Mustafa Bandukwala, another participant, said, “[MIST was] honestly an amazing experience.” He added, “The people there were extremely supportive.”
