It’s time for SEAST #3 ELEMENTARY SPEECH AND DEBATE TOURNAMENT!  We are excited to see your teams!

This tournament is for elementary schools designated in the South area (Zones 3 and 4).  Tournament date is Thursday January 23^rd, 2025.

LOCATION: 

Cypress Bay High School, 18600 Vista Park Blvd., Weston, FL  33332

REGISTRATION

Registration for NEW ENTRIES opens Friday January 10, 2025, and closes on Tuesday January 21st, at 12 noon.  Changes (drops or name changes) can be made until 12 pm of tournament day, Thursday January 23^rd, 2025. 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, or we can make some edits at Team check in.

ENTRY CAPS

• Remember, each school may only initially enter TEN students per event. Any entries over that number will go on the waitlist, which will be cleared pending available space at Cypress Bay High and the requesting school has enough judges.
• No double or cross entries are allowed.

VARSITY JUDGE REQUEST

VARSITY JUDGE REQUEST closes on Wednesday January 8th, at 5 pm.  Please secure a minimum of 50% of your adult judges before you request a varsity judge.  Please use the form to request a varsity judge.  I strongly encourage you to secure your own judges and use the varsity judge in cases of emergency. 

PIZZA PREORDERS

We strongly encourage you to pre-order pizza for your team.  Whole pies with 8 slices are $16 each and include 4 bottles of water with each pie order.  PIZZA PREORDER SALES CLOSE ON Tuesday January 14^th, AT NOON.  The host school will have some pizza and additional concession items for sales throughout the tournament (CASH ONLY).

-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 Debate”.

PLEASE KEEP YOUR AREA IN THE CAFETERIA CLEAN AT ALL TIMES.  GARBAGE CANS AND BAGS ARE PLACED AROUND THE ROOM. HAVE YOUR STUDENTS CLEAN UP AFTER THEMSELVES.

TOURNAMENT DAY PROCEDURES

Arrival for the tournament is between 1:15pm and 2:00pm to avoid Cypress Bay High School lunch procedures.  We will not start the tournament until after school dismissal, the campus is cleared and the judges have arrived.

Security will direct you to the auditorium or other holding area. 

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

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.  

PLEASE KEEP YOUR AREA IN THE CAFETERIA CLEAN AT ALL TIMES.  GARBAGE CANS AND BAGS ARE PLACED AROUND THE ROOM. HAVE YOUR STUDENTS CLEAN UP AFTER THEMSELVES.

JUDGES

Judges are needed 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.) 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.

If your judge is not riding on the school bus with you, their arrival time should be between 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm.  Arrival after 2:30 pm may result in a forfeit of the first round. Please enter at Parking Gate 3.  Judges will check in with the school’s Single Point entry and will need identification.  They will then check in with District staff. 

If your judge will arrive after 2:30 pm, please let the district staff know that the judge will miss the first round, and we will prioritize them for round 2.

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 of the second semester:

• Resolved: The United States should substantially reduce its military support for Taiwan.

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 this semester are:

• A Resolution to Amend the Constitution to Replace the Electoral College with Ranked Choice Voting
• A Bill to Fund Africa’s Great Green Wall Project

PIECE INFORMATION

Interpretation - (DI, DUO, DEC):

Once you have updated your entries, go to the column on Speechwire called “Piece Registration”. For each INTERP and/or DEC entry, please enter the title of the piece, author’s name, ISBN Number or website address in the appropriate box.

Original Oratory – Please enter the title of the student’s piece.

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

 

(vr24)