Common Questions About Debate

Speech and debate camp is a series of one-on-one training sessions, lab time, workshops, lectures, and seminars for high school and college students. Here are some frequently asked questions.

1. Who are the directors of our debate and speech camp? What are their credentials to address the needs of high school students? We firmly believe that an online debate and speech camp’s administrator must be people who can be trusted to make important academic, social, and safety decisions for a large and heterogeneous group of high school and middle school students. At Summit Debate we pride ourselves in having an administrative team that has over 50 years of combined administrative experience both at Summer Institutes and in a Middle School/High School setting.

2. Are the curriculum coordinators of the speech and debate camp classroom teachers who are active coaches? Yes!

3. How is the online curriculum grounded in an understanding of the learning process, especially on a digital platform? We have worked with outside educational consultants and our internal staff knowledge and experience with online curriculum to create an outstanding online curriculum in speech and debate events. We will offer a balance of asynchronous and synchronous learning for all participants.

4. What Learning Management Platform will Summit Debate be utilizing this summer at all three sessions? We will be using the Classroom.Cloud online platform. This is the company and platform that was used to run the Tournament of Champions in April, the National Debate Coaches’ Association Spring Convention in May, and they will host and run the National Speech and Debate Association’s National High School Tournament, Senior Showcase Tournament, and National Middle School Tournament. Classroom Cloud has built a unique online platform exclusively for Summit Debate summer camps, and they will only provide this platform for our summer camps.

5. Does Summit Debate have experience running face to face workshops and how will we bring that experience to an online summer camp? Summit Debate has 23 years of offering summer debate and speech camp experience in an in person setting. We also started Summit Debate Online in 2010 as a way to bring our summer camp experience and in person coaching experience to students year round. Some of our instructors have coached students online for a decade and those students have made the semi-final and final rounds at the NSDA National Tournament in Original Oratory and Informative Speaking.

6. What are the times of the online camp sessions? We have created a schedule that will span all four domestic time zones. We will start every morning at 11am EST/10amCST/9amMST/8amPST and will conclude each day at 9pmEST/8pmCST/7pmMST/6pmPST.

learn how to fine-tune your ability to argue and reason

With our award-winning champion staff, it’s no wonder why we out perform other camps. Our alumni have gone on to compete at the highest levels of speech and debate, including winning Tournament of Champions, NCFL Nationals, and the NSDA National Tournament.

OUR COMMITMENT

Speech & Debate provides students portable skills that allow them to transform their lives in countless ways. From the core curriculum to our electives to our free time, Summit Debate is committed to finding the educational moments to help students be prepared for their speech & debate rounds and life after speech & debate. Since speech & debate competition mirrors real life, our goal is to help create curriculum that mirrors the best our society has to offer.

OUR AWARD-WINNING TEAM

With our 20-year award-winning champion staff, it’s no wonder why we out perform other camps. Our alumni have gone on to compete at the highest levels of speech and debate, including winning tournaments like the Tournament of Champions, NCFL Nationals, and the NSDA National Tournament. Our record stands for itself.

Meet Our Team

With more than 75 instructors across all events, the Summit Debate family is lad by National Debate Champion coaches and former National Debate Champion competitors. Jenny Cook, National Debate Hall of Fame Awardee, leads the charge to ensure only the highest caliber of expertise is being fostered and every session is transformative.