Students at Fort Richmond Collegiate want to prove they’re undeniable.

The school has entered into Under Armour’s Finding Undeniable challenge, a national competition searching for "Canada’s most undeniable high school." FRC is among 38 Canadian schools competing, and the only Winnipeg-based school.

High schools across the country earn points by completing various challenges, which they earn points for. Schools are ranked by the number of points they earn. Schools can also earn points by gaining votes.

The competition began in October, and FRC entered two weeks late after learning about it from a teacher at the school.

"We had a lot of catching up to do," said Dilumi Rajamanthri, FRC’s student body secretary.
"We had a certain amount of challenges to get done, and then in November more challenges got added on."

Challenges vary from simple things, such as uploading a photo of the school’s sign, which is worth 10 points, to being endorsed by the media for a total of 7,500 points. Each completed challenge is uploaded onto a web page, where it is tracked.

On Nov. 27, the two schools with the most points, plus one wild card school will be entered into a faceoff round. The winning school will receive $100,000 for athletic programming.

"We’ve been as high as second place, so we’ve been doing pretty well. It’s fairly competitive," said Christopher Rampersad, FRC’s student council president.

On Nov. 14, Rampersad and two other members of student council took a bus to city hall in an effort to obtain the endorsement of Mayor Sam Katz and members of city council. Rampersad said it was one of the bigger challenges they have faced.

"We got the mayor and 11 councillors (to endorse us in a video)," Rampersad said, adding they gained 3,250 points for their efforts.

Rampersad said FRC would be a deserving recipient of the prize because of its diversity and enthusiasm. Just this year, the school started a cricket team following requests from many of the students in the school.

"You wouldn’t expect a cricket team in a place like Canada, but we have such a high population (of students) from the Middle East and Sri Lanka, and we started a cricket team because that’s what (they know)," he said.

Rampersad said the team gelled quickly. It only practised twice prior to winning a city championship.

"That’s a perfect example of the kind of diversity and drive, and the kind of people we have at this school," he said.

"If we could get $100,000 to fund clubs like cricket…as well as to start up a few more sports, we could keep (creating  new teams)."

Keith Redfern, FRC’s athletics program leader, said $100,000 would go a long way in helping the athletics department.

"Our kids have such a varied cultural background and we’re starting to move in all sorts of new sports," Redfern said, adding the money would allow them to offer more opportunities.

He said the school’s enthusiasm for the competition has been remarkable.

"It’s so well organized. This year, as far as (school) spirit goes, has been the best (for students getting involved) and I’ve been here for 20 years," Redfern said.

To vote for FRC and help them win the Finding Undeniable challenge, go to findingundeniable.ca/school/fort-richmond-collegiate.

danielle.finch@canstarnews.com