Programs
National Topic | September – January
High School Debate
“The feeling of getting a medal is one of the best ever, whether you’re a rookie or varsity debater – because you know that you were matched against people of your own skill level, and you were able to beat them. That makes you confident.”
– Nora, Central High School
In this program, our students join policy debaters nationwide in researching, debating, and competing in rounds examining a topic chosen by the National Speech & Debate Association. The 2024-25 national policy debate resolution is: Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly strengthen its protection of domestic intellectual property rights in copyrights, patents, and/or trademarks.
Students compete at up to 14 debate tournaments from September to December. Debaters are paired into partnerships (2-person teams) with a classmate at the same level of competitive mastery. Our debate divisions are designed to get students at every point of entry excited about debate: