As its final event of the school year, the student-led SMUS Talks Club hosted The Mob Still Rules on Friday in the Chapel. The hour-long event brought together students and staff to reflect on the rise of polarization and isolation in the digital age.
Guest speaker Samantha Rubin and SMUS Talks Co-Head Beatrice Sharpe both delivered powerful speeches that challenged the audience to consider how social media shapes our thinking and behaviour. Citing real-world examples of online groupthink, both speakers urged students to stay critical, stay compassionate, and resist the pull of mob mentality.
Adding a reflective note to the afternoon, Co-Head Sophie DeLaunière performed folk music on the violin, uniting the audience through song and reinforcing the event’s themes of empathy and connection.
Attendees left with a deeper understanding of how digital platforms can influence their mental and emotional well-being—and the importance of maintaining personal agency in an increasingly noisy world.
The themes explored in The Mob Still Rules reflect a broader, school-wide commitment to fostering conversations around digital wellness and critical thinking. Throughout the year, SMUS has hosted several keynote events and parent engagement opportunities at the Junior, Middle, and Senior School levels. The Personal Counselling department facilitated a school-wide parent session inspired by Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, earlier this year, while discussions around the use of AI in learning continue to bring Haidt’s concerns into sharper focus. At the Middle School, the Clicks and Consequences conference welcomed students from local schools to explore strategies for digital balance and discuss the real-world risks of online engagement.
SMUS Talks is a club based on the TED Talks model, where students and guest speakers present on timely topics and share their insights and ideas. The club organizes three events each year, and this year expanded its reach by hosting a Chapel presentation. Speakers are typically students or community leaders, selected either by direct outreach or through a school-wide Call for Speakers. Past presenters have included Youlan Li, Jason Zhang, Matty Kolinek, Claire Ru and Danny Nguyen.
“For me, SMUS Talks has been a way to share my ideas and gain invaluable public speaking skills,” said Sharpe, who graduates this year. “Since Grade 9, I’ve made friends with student leaders who are passionate about deep discussion and making sense of the world around us. It’s built an invaluable community—and I really appreciated the opportunity to deliver a final speech in The Mob Still Rules.”
The club now passes the torch to next year’s Co-Heads, Maho Masuda and Matty Kolinek, who are already planning the next series of thought-provoking events.
Watch Samantha Rubin's address:
