National High School Debate Tournament Comes to Scranton

Apr 8, 2011

Elite high school students from across the country will travel to Scranton to compete in a national debate tournament hosted by Scranton High School and The University of Scranton. More than three hundred accomplished high school debaters are expected to participate in the 2011 National Debate Coaches Association’s (NDCA) National Championships, which will take place April 15-18 on the University’s campus.

Participating schools in this year’s championships represent high schools from more than 20 states, including Alabama, Iowa, Minnesota, and California.

Previous NDCA National Championships host sites include Michigan State University, Northwestern University and, most recently, Georgetown University.

The goal of the national championships is to hold a student-friendly event that promotes the values of the high school coaching community while encouraging regional debate, one of the core missions of the NDCA.

The tournament comprises seven preliminary rounds of competition in three open divisions, including policy debate, Lincoln-Douglas debate and Public Forum debate. Participants who win at least five preliminary rounds will proceed to elimination rounds. Topics of debate include the treatment of juveniles in the U.S. criminal justice system; U.S. military and police presence in foreign nations; and using financial incentives to encourage organ donation.

Brian Manuel, a graduate of and former speech and debate coach at Scranton High School, will join Taylor Roth of Binghamton, N.Y., as the tournament’s NDCA hosts.

For more information on the NDCA National Championships tournament, visit http://www.debatecoaches.org/page/tournament.


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