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Welcome to the new school year, co-op families! Consider it joy, pure joy When troubles come Many trials will make you strong

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. - James 1:1

 

TORCH Speech and Debate Club

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New this year! “TORCH Tuesdays” Speech for ages 11 and up from 1:15-3 pm upstairs in Ed Building. Apologetics, games, Great Speeches in History, Mars Hill (bringing Christ to the Culture), and Impromptu. No Junior Speech, Childcare, or Debate on Tuesday. $200 per family if you just do Tuesdays. 

Jen Chang isn’t leading Salis on Tuesdays at Capital Baptist this year, so TORCH Tuesdays is designed to fill that need and offer extra practice for Thursday students. 

Tuesday and Thursday curricula complement or can stand alone. Thursday membership includes Tuesday as an optional practice.

TORCH Tuesdays Speech and Debate

Begins Sept 17th in Rooms 206-208, continuing most Tuesdays 1:15-3. Will need 1-2 parents to stay as helpers. 

Student must do one tournament and a parent  must help with our tournaments as well. No juniors, childcare, or debate on Tuesday. This is for mature students willing to give it their best.

Speech instruction, Apologetics, games, Great Speeches in History, Media Madness Mars Hill, and Impromptu. 

(For Tuesdays only mark “Sr Speech“ for participation; cost is $200; under “ Additional questions or comments? torchspeechdebate@gmail.com”….type “TORCH Tuesday Only”)

This is under the umbrella of Thursday TORCH but for our Tuesday co-op families. Some Thursday families will also attend. We are very excited about this opportunity!

Steps: To participate in only Tuesdays, you will:

  • Join TORCH with notation "TORCH TUESDAY ONLY"
  • Pay $200 via PayPal
  • Send your email to torchspeechdebate@gmail.com to be invited to Band (full of great info!)
  • Immediately accept invitation to Band and identify yourself on there as “Your Name TORCH Tuesday,” 
  • Join Stoa National at about $100 (tons of resources), stoausa.org
  • Help your child with the weekly homework which is one Apologetics and one Mars Hill per week, plus occasional “Great Speech.”
  • Help with tournament.
  • Plan to stay the first day for orientation and sign-ups.

It sounds like a lot, but the fruits are worth it and the devil is a liar. We must hone our wits and witness to be ready for whatever comes next.

 

TORCH is a vibrant group of like-minded homeschool families who value effective communication, critical thinking, and character development. We work together as a team to give students the tools, honest feedback, and experience necessary to help them become great communicators. Speech Club meets Thursdays from 1:30pm - 3:00pm and Debate Club gathers Thursdays 3:00 pm - 4:30pm at Capital Baptist Church on Gallows Rd in Annandale. We communicate using Band, so students and parents are asked to activate Band upon joining TORCH. We have fun activities, even in the summer, for those who are here.

 

Why Stoa?

Stoa is a national high school and junior high Speech and Debate organization serving the needs of privately-educated, Christian homeschooling families. Stoa trains and supports us to develop students into confident, articulate leaders who change their culture through the marketplace of ideas. Our students become like family, as they encourage one another, accept criticism, and entertain both victory and defeat with grace. Our graduates have become leaders at every level of work, community, and ministry. See stoausa.org for more information.

What's Expected?

Leadership roles for students and parents bring you into the action. Junior Speech and speech-time childcare teach and tend to all tiers of your growing family. We seek to multiply your efforts, "Together On the Road for Christ's Honor." We amplify learning and fellowship with games, workshops, socials, skits, and movie nights. Members join our club, and the national club stoausa.org, both of which offer a bevy of resources.

This is not a drop-off program, but an interactive club. Parents and students attend weekly, and we all grow in friendship. Parents help in various ways in which they're comfortable, especially in giving feedback in breakout rooms. We all support tournaments our group hosts, once or twice a year, with jobs suitable for all kinds of personalities. We like to be flexible. At tournaments, students and parents network and bond with fun and talented individuals from all over the country!
 

 

You can join just Speech, just Debate, or both. We will do our best to bless your entire family.
 
Senior Speech or Debate students must be age 12 or up by Oct 1 of the relevant school year.  
Junior Speech is for ages 7-11 by Oct 1. Priority is generally given to siblings of senior speech students. We can sometimes make an exception.
 
As the world forgets about Christ and His love, we seek to edify and equip our precious children to bring the world back to its senses and be a light to the broken-hearted.
 
 

You are wanted. You are welcome. Not for what you do, but for who you are. We will give you opportunities to become more fully you, in the image of your Creator.

We are bold, and we are shy. Our income brackets vary. We are from many states, and some from overseas. Military, State Department, and embassy families will find a home here. We are national-caliber, and we are getting over the jitters. We are from all walks of life.

We cheer for one another. We treasure the time we have together.

JOIN TORCH TODAY.  Sign up here!