February 2018 | A monthly publication of the National Speech & Debate Association

Dear Leader,

Our hearts go out to our district leaders in South Florida and to the coaches, students, family, friends, and all of those impacted by the shooting yesterday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a member school in Florida.

Single Entry Letter of Intent Changes

We’ve made some changes to the single entry letter of intent, which establishes a student’s preference in qualifying an event to the National Tournament. Remember, this form must be completed prior to the beginning of the district tournament date in which a student potentially double qualifies. Please note the changes below.

We combined the forms for Top 14 auto qualifiers and regular participants into one form.
There is new language regarding preferences for World Schools Debate.
We removed the student signature line to allow the coach to represent the student’s choice.

The newest, fillable PDF version of the form is available on our website here and on the District Tournament forms page at www.speechanddebate.org/rules-forms-manuals/#districts. This form, and your financial collection, are the only things you must submit via mail to the national office this year! If you have already completed your district's paperwork, last year's form will still be accepted.

Does Your District Have Untapped Potential?

Running an NSDA district creates too many decisions and tasks for one person to handle; likewise, each district contains too much leadership potential to leave untapped. Want ideas on distributing power to protect your sanity and allow you to get more input from different perspectives? David Ross from the Partnership for 21st Century Learning will give you ideas to do just that in one of several sessions devoted to your leadership role that we'll offer at the National Conference July 28-31 in Phoenix, Arizona. Visit www.speechanddebate.org/conferences to learn more or to register! Early bird pricing ends March 5.

Rostrum Release: Advancing Inclusion

A new issue of Rostrum is available online and will hit mailboxes soon! This issue features updates on our inclusion efforts as an organization and as a community. We share 17 steps we're taking to advance inclusion by the end of June, including acting on recommendations from the 2017 Coaches' Caucuses, making changes to the National Tournament, releasing tools for local tournaments, diversifying our resource offerings, and much more. Read the issue »

Recognize Student Achievement

Please encourage members of your district to nominate a graduating senior for consideration for your district's Student of the Year Award by completing this form.

Chairs, when you report the tournament results, you'll also tell us who received your award by April 16. That person will be added to the list of contenders for the 2018 William Woods Tate, Jr., National Student of the Year Award.

Celebrate March 2 in Your District

As a leader in our community, you can help make March 2, National Speech and Debate Education Day, bigger than ever! We know you are busy teaching and coaching, so this event is a great opportunity to involve your team, especially if your district tournament is taking place that weekend! Select a student or parent to be your NSDE Day Captain, and we will work with them directly to ensure NSDE Day is a success at your school! The level of participation is completely up to you and your team. All you have to do is:

Fill out our sign up form and encourage coaches, students, and parents in your district to do the same.
Promote the event in your school and community.
Share photos, stories, and social media posts on NSDE Day.

This year, every individual or team who signs up to celebrate NSDE Day will receive a toolkit with information, resources, and FREE swag! Learn more at www.SpeechandDebateDay.org.

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