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Dear District Leader,

As Thanksgiving approaches, we want you to know we're thankful for you! Wishing you rest and relaxation with friends and family this month. Check out reminders and news from the community below!

Collaborate and Share Tips with Other Leaders

In past surveys, district leaders have indicated an interest in learning more about how other districts operate. To address that need, we've created a new District Leader Forum. This space is designed for you to have discussions, share ideas, and raise questions! To get started, visit www.speechanddebate.org/forums and click on the District Leader Forum link. To read the posts for each topic, click on the blue title link. To post your own reply, use the white text box at the bottom of each topic—you can even attach files if necessary!

Reminder: Preparing for Your District Series with Tabroom.com

Setup » District chairs use Tabroom.com to submit district tournament dates, report competition rules, request awards and ballots, and share tournament results. If any part of your district series takes place in 2019, your tournament info was due by October 29. If all of your series takes place in 2020, your tournament info is due by November 30. Detailed instructions for submitting your district series information are available via this guide.

Pilot Options and Software » Remember to look at the new pilot qualification rules your district can select to use this year! Check out the new double elimination bracket option and the round robin option in the Pilot District Qualification Manual. If you're not using Tabroom.com as your tournament software, be sure to check with your platform's administrator for available options.

Settings » Your selections for tabulation software, rules, and dates are final at the end of November. Please set up your tournament settings at least two weeks before your tournament begins. At that time, national office staff will do a check to ensure you're squared away.

Support » If you'd like extra help running your district tournament on Tabroom.com, please contact Lauren Burdt at lauren.burdt@speechanddebate.org. We're here to help!

Take the District Leader Onboarding Course

Each district leader is invited to grow in your understanding of your role as a District Committee member or chair by taking our District Leader Onboarding Course! Offered for free through our new online professional development portal, NSDA Learn, this course is self paced and can be taken at one's leisure.

2020 NSDA Educator of the Year Nomination Form

Help us Celebrate Educators!

Did you know the last three recipients of the National Educator of the Year award have been nominated in part by district leaders? Your participation in this award is influential! Nominate a classroom educator in the field of speech and debate who has enhanced the quality of education in the field of speech and debate by December 2!

2018-2019 Leading Chapter Awards

Each year the top chapter in accumulated members and degrees, not more than one per district, receives the Leading Chapter Award; then its accumulated total returns to zero and it begins a new record. The Leading Chapter Award is given out by the district chair at the district tournament and will arrive in your district box five to six weeks before your tournament. We're excited to share the list of winners for the 2018-2019 school year!

Note: If you are a district chair and your school is the recipient of the Leading Chapter Award, please consider inviting someone else to present the award to you.

School Recruitment Tools

We know many of you are doing your own outreach to new or lapsed schools. Feel free to borrow from or link to the resources below!

Recommended Roles at the District Tournament

Offering new coaches a role at your tournament can be a great way to generate buy in and encourage them to commit to attending! We have compiled a list of suggested tab staff positions broken up by recommended experience level. This guide can serve as a resource as you strive to recruit a tab staff that represents the full range of diverse voices and viewpoints in your district. Download the guide »

Student of the Year Award Ceremony Script

The District Student of the Year award recognizes one graduating senior from a district who best represents the tenets of our Code of Honor. District nominations are collected via this standard form, and a copy of each nomination is sent to the district chair and the national office. Each year, six students who win their district award are selected as finalists for the William Woods Tate, Jr., National Student of the Year award.

As you plan to announce your District Student of the Year, check out our editable script for your award ceremony!

Mission Moment

What you do as coaches and district leaders helps us build a diverse community committed to empowering students through competitive speech and debate. Thank you for helping Chloe, Derek, and 140,000 students like them across the country uncover their confidence and find their voices.

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