Ontario high school students compete in Lang Business competition
Over 350 Ontario high school students travelled to the University of Guelph last week, competing in the second annual Business Pentathlon, a competition hosted by the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics.
Designed by undergraduate Lang business students, the Business Pentathlon invites Ontario high schools to compete in five fun and challenging business-focused events that test their business knowledge, communication and leadership skills.
This year’s competition had 72 teams from across 21 high schools, ranging from as far as the GTA to Windsor. Students were divided into a senior division and a junior division, competing for the top three prizes in each competition, as well as a first overall prize for the top team in each division.
The competition’s events focused on themes that are reflective of Lang Business, including entrepreneurship, sustainability, teamwork and active learning. The five events were:
- Biz Quiz: A comprehensive game show-style activity, utilizing the methods and knowledge from a first-year Lang business course.
- Triple Bottom Line: Students analyzed a case related to a specific ethical dilemma, using the people, planet and profit framework. Each team then presented their findings to a panel of judges.
- Gryph Tank: Students were given an issue in advance that they must solve by creating a new product or service. At the event, they pitched their idea to “the Gryphons”.
- Business 4 Good: Business 4 Good is an opportunity for high school students to gain knowledge about the different components of business while building their ability to solve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for 2025.
- Team Building: Students worked together to build a structure with limited materials and the tallest structure wins! The competition is a true test of teamwork and communication.
First place overall in the junior league was Team 26 from Brampton’s David Suzuki Secondary School. Team 48 from Holy Names Catholic High School in Windsor took home first overall in the senior league.
First Place - Overall, Senior
Holy Names Catholic High School - Team 48
First Place - Overall, Junior
David Suzuki Secondary School - Team 26
Congratulations to all teams on an incredible showing! A full list of event winners can be found on the Business Pentathlon page.
Special thanks to this year’s title sponsor CPA Ontario and our event sponsors: Fidelity Investments, The Neighbourhood Group, Real World Communications, Cupanion, and Metro Supply Chain Group.
The event would not be possible without our sponsors and the tremendous effort by the Lang business students, staff and volunteers. Thank you to everyone involved!