A month-long tournament that started with nearly 100 students will culminate in a final showdown for cash prizes Thursday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. in Page Hall.Several championship winners of speech and debate will each receive a top prize of $500 following Westmont’s Tournament of Expressions: Finals in Debate, Great Speeches, Persuasive Speeches, and Biblical Recitation.
John Blondell, Westmont professor of theater arts, will lecture about “Born in the USA: William Shakespeare and the American Theatrical Tradition” Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 8 p.m. at Hieronymus Lounge in Westmont’s Kerrwood Hall. The Phi Kappa Phi Paul C. Wilt Faculty Lecture is free and open to the public.
Lawrence Stager, Dorot professor of the archaeology of Israel at Harvard, will present a free lecture “The Mysterious Philistines: Excavations at Ashkelon Cast New Light on Their Origins, Language, Religion and Daily Life,” in a lecture co sponsored by Westmont and UC Santa Barbara Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. in North Hall 1006 at UCSB.
The Westmont Theatre Department presents “Anon(ymous),” an adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey” by Naomi Iizuka, Feb. 22, 23 and 29 and March 1 at 8 p.m. in Porter Theatre. Admission is $15, $7 for students and seniors. The public is also invited to hear Iizuka talk about her work at a keynote address Thursday, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Porter Theatre.
HIGH SCHOOLERS COMPETE IN MATH CONTEST
Westmont hosts its 21st annual mathematics contest for high schools students Saturday, Feb. 9. Participating this year will be Bishop Garcia Diego High School, Cabrillo High School in Lompoc, Cate School, Dos Pueblos High School, Santa Barbara Family Schools, Oaks Christian High School, San Marcos High School, Santa Barbara High School, Olive Grove Charter School and Thacher School.
Two Westmont professors will discuss Fareed Zakaria’s book, “The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad,” as part of Westmont Downtown: Conversations About Things that Matter. The event is free and open to the public, Thursday, Feb. 21, at the University Club, 1332 Santa Barbara St., at 5:30 p.m.