Competitive Speech & Debate Program
Grace Covenant Academy’s competitive speech and debate club exists to teach students life skills through the vehicle of competitive speech and debate — in a manner that glorifies God. The objective is to teach how to communicate clearly and how to seek God first in the process.
We think competition offers the best opportunity to sharpen these skills, due to the number of hours devoted to practice and watching peers at the regional, state and national level who participate at various skill levels.
Our Goal with Speech and Debate
We want our future adults to be able to:
- organize their thoughts and communicate them directly and persuasively with integrity
- craft a well-planned speech
- sharpen nonverbal as well as verbal skills
- accept constructive criticism
- express appreciation in a personal way
- grow in graciousness through coaching others
- know Christ and make Him known with gentleness and reverence
Speech
We recommend speech for all high school students, but one class (half a credit) of speech is required for all high school diplomas. Speech can be taken every year with half a credit earned for it each year. NCFCA is a high school league that allows middle school student participation.
Parental consideration should be given as to the social and spiritual maturity required to wrestle with high school, age-appropriate material.
Debate
At the high school level, we encourage strong students to delve into the best activity we know for teaching advanced critical thinking skills: competitive debate. Debate can be taken every year with one credit earned for it each year. Debate is time-intensive, but teaches a myriad of life-enhancing skills that include:
- logic
- reasoning
- how to craft and communicate an argument
- what credible evidence is
- how to recognize the values behind the argument
- how to lead one’s opponent to think through the issues by questioning rather than telling
- how to be honest with facts and not cherry-pick them for personal gain
- how to be a gracious communicator rather than one who twists the truth in order to win
Training communicators to be winsome
Our league, the National Christian Forensics and Communication Association, offers Christ-like values and well-organized tournaments during the spring competition season, January through May. Students practice their speeches and debate arguments at club meetings or classes all fall and often have a practice tournament in fall. In fact, debate students are required to attend debate camp locally for one week during August. To learn about joining GCA’s speech and debate club, click below for the handbook.