email : Webview : Last Chance to Vote + Nationals Details

Check out what's new this week, Coach!

National Tournament Event Registration

Registration is open for the online National Tournament, Middle School Speech Challenge, and Senior Open! Materials and payments for all three events are due May 15. For details on eligibility, fees, judging, competition events, and schedule outlines, visit www.speechanddebate.org/nationals and peruse the FAQ or select the procedures document for each event. Need help persuading an administrator? Share our participant security letter. We are excited to offer your students the opportunity to compete one more time this year!

Entering Judges for Nationals and Judging on Tabroom.com

This one page guide explains how to enter your judges into the system. Learn more about using online ballots on Tabroom.com and how to enable notifications for schedule updates and ballots here. With an online tournament, these tools for staying connected are more important than ever!

2 Months of Free High-Speed Internet from Comcast

Comcast is providing 2 months of free Internet Essentials service for families and other low-income households that currently do not subscribe to Internet at home. Please encourage eligible students to apply by May 13, 2020.

Final Round Watch Parties Continue

NSDA coach Renea L. Moss invites you and your students to join her weekly virtual NSDA Final Round Watch Parties. Students have the chance to learn directly from past finalists by asking questions. Join one of the sessions below!

Extemporaneous Speaking: Today, April 28 at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET
Congress: Thursday, April 30 at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET

Weigh in on Public Forum Rules

In 2019, our Board of Directors voted to pilot new speech times and revised language surrounding Grand Crossfire and paraphrasing in PF. We are collecting coach feedback on these pilot rules to assist the Board in determining whether these rules have been beneficial for the community at the May Board meeting. Please log in and share your thoughts!

Diversity and Inclusion Impromptu Prompts

Diversity and Inclusion Resources

Are you looking for resources to advance your commitment to diversity and inclusion across all of your events? You can find our diversity and inclusion focused Extemp questions, Impromptu prompts, and Congress legislation all in one place at www.speechanddebate.org/inclusion. These resources are ever-evolving, sourced from a variety of perspectives, and can be used to practice at home!

Cast Your Ballot: Board of Directors Election

Help select the leaders of our organization! One advisor for each active member school shall vote for up to four candidates in our biennial Board of Directors election through the NSDA Voting section of an NSDA Account. Voting concludes May 1 and elected representatives shall serve from August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2024. Read the statements from our seven candidates here.

Chairs, Submit Your District Leader Commendations

District chairs can submit District Leader Commendations for our evaluation via the District Awards Reporting form. These awards recognize non-chair committee members in your district including committee members, other coaches, administrators, parents, or volunteers. District Leader Commendations, and all other district award winners, are due Friday, May 1.

Facing Down Football: One Alum's Journey to Raise Awareness About CTE

In the new issue of Rostrum, Alison Epperson shares Zac Easter's struggle with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and how she used her speech and debate skills to found CTE Hope and raise awareness about the dangers of concussions after his death.

“The fundamentals of being an advocate are being able to articulate your story and explain to people what you do. It is so important to have the confidence and the wherewithal to get up in front of five, a hundred, a thousand people and tell them about your cause and what you’re doing. It is equally important to be able to understand, recognize, and acknowledge the other side...CTE is so intertwined with football and subconcussive hits that a lot of people who love football don’t want to recognize the danger. To get them on your side you have to be able to relate to them and present your argument in ways that can reach them.”

Keep reading

Show Your Achievement. Celebrate All of Your Students' Accomplishments with Honor Society Insignia!

Update your mailing preferences | Opt out of all NSDA communications
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.

401 Railroad Place
West Des Moines, IA | 50265 US

This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.