Welcome to our first SEAST (South Elementary After School Tournament)! 

Tournament is for elementary schools designated in the South area (Zones 3 and 4).  Tournament date is Thursday October 17, 2024.

 

LOCATION (new this year): 

Cypress Bay High School,

18600 Vista Park Blvd.,

Weston, FL  33332

 

REGISTRATION

Registration for NEW ENTRIES opens THURSDAY September 26, 2024, and closes on FRIDAY October 11, at 5 pm. Changes (drops or name changes) can be made until 12 pm on Thursday October 17, 2024. If you have changes after that, please email me at Jacqueline.Singletary@Browardschools.com with your school’s name, student who is dropping, and her/his event.

•            ENTRY CAPS:

o            Remember, each school may only initially enter FIVE students in all events except Congress, in which you can enter TEN. Any entries over that number will go on the waitlist, which will be cleared pending available space at Cypress Bay High and sufficient judge numbers.

o            No double or cross entries are allowed.

 

BUSES AND PIZZA

Please complete your bus request form on time to ensure you have transport.  Bus Requests forms have been emailed out, and a copy is posted on Canvas Debate Broward Coach Corner.  Bus request form will close on Monday October 4th, 2024, at 5 pm.  Bus assignments will be sent in an email confirmation after that date.

 

We strongly advise that you pre-order pizza for your team.  Whole pies with 8 slices are $16 each, and includes 4 bottles of water with each pie order.  PIZZA PREORDER SALES CLOSE ON TUESDAY OCTOBER 8TH, AT NOON.  The host school will have some pizza and additional concession items for sales throughout the tournament.

 

-Add pre-ordered pizza pies by clicking “Tournament home” on the left column, then click “Update your meal order” in the middle of the screen.

-Print your final invoice to request a check from your school under “Current Invoice” on the left column of Speechwire. Make checks payable to “Cypress Bay High School Debate”.

 

TOURNAMENT DAY PROCEDURES

Arrival for the tournament is between 1:00pm and 2:00pm to avoid Cypress Bay High School after school traffic.

Security will direct you to the auditorium.

Check in with Debate Broward Staff upon your arrival.  Please let us know if you have any last drops and changes at that time.

IMPORTANT - Everyone will stay in the auditorium until Cypress Bay allows us to move to the cafeteria.  Please keep all students in the cafeteria until rounds start (hopefully around 3:15pm)

Coaches will be responsible for identifying the room each student will compete in, and for directing their students to assigned room, by reviewing the Schematic tab in Speechwire. A list will pop up when each round is ready to go.

 

CHAPERONES AND JUDGES

-Standard field trip procedures of 1 adult chaperone to every 10 students. 

-Teachers/Coaches please chaperone your students.  At least one chaperone must always be with the students in the auditorium and/or cafeteria. Chaperones may double as judges.

•            JUDGES: Judges are required for any tournament to run, and schools are required to cover their entries. (1 judge covers 2 debate entries, or 1 judge covers any combination of 5 speech/congress entries.) Please make sure you do not bring more students than you have judges to cover. Reach out to competitors' family members, teachers, and mentors for judge help. Coaches can judge too.

•            Varsity debaters with at least 150 NSDA points, currently enrolled and competing in debate, and who are not in their first year of high school debate are welcome to attend and judge.

•            ***Proof of NSDA record is required. (NEW!)***

•            ***If you have varsity debaters who can judge and/or P.O. for Congressional Debate, please email Jacqueline.Singletary@browardschools.com directly with their names and school, and put it into the notes section of the judge. ***

If your judge is not riding on the school bus with you, arrival time should be no later than 2:30 pm or you may forfeit first round.  Judges will check in with the school’s Single Point entry and will need identification. 

All adult judges should have at a least level one clearance with the district.  Have parents/adults use the link to register as a volunteer - https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/NDgyMDplbi1VUw==  or go to the Get Involved with BCPS / Volunteer Services website.

 

EVENTS / TOPICS

Public Forum – The resolution will be the same for the first and second tournaments:

•            Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially expand its surveillance infrastructure along its southern border.

Congress legislation is available in the Elementary Debate Canvas Course. Per usual, chambers might not debate both bills if time does not allow.  The titles for Semester 1 are:

•            The Compassionate Housing Act of 2025

•            A bill to Hold Social Media Companies Liable for Scams

 

Interpretation (DI, DUO, HI, POI) and Declamation (DEC): (NEW!)

Once you have updated your entries, go to the left column on Speechwire called “Piece Registration”. For each INTERP and/or DEC entry, you are required to include the title of the piece in the “title” section and the website or ISBN number in the “author” section.

 

More information may be sent out as the tournament approaches. Please let your mentor know if you have any questions. THANK YOU!