- What is debate?
Debate is the art of persuasion, presenting an argument and defending it with logic and evidence. At the high school and collegiate levels, debate is one of the oldest and most deeply-rooted academic activities in the United States.
- Why is debate important?
Debate fosters academic interest and motivation in many students who otherwise would not have a reason to care about the world at large. Studies have shown a strong correlation between participation in debate and increased grades and chances for college.
Indeed, Professor Minh Luong of Yale found that on average, performing well at state and national levels boosts an applicant's chances by 22-33%, and being a team captain assists by almost 60%.
- So where do you come into this?
Champion Debate is an organization run by debaters, with the sole purpose of introducing rising middle school and high school students to debate. We've found debate to be transformative in our lives, and want to help others learn the tools to better themselves.
- What's the application process?
For more details, see the application page itself. Ours is a three-step process: first, show your interest by submitting an application ticket via the Apply page. Second, file a deposit and confirmation with us after receiving a reply mail. Third, complete the acceptance packet we send after processing your ticket, along with payment. That's it!
- How do you determine camp cost?
Every year, planning meetings between our staff set prices after considering the operating budget we have for the year. Factored into our costs is a small reserve we must have at all times to keep our bank account open: other than that, the major cost is renting rooms. While we set costs as low as possible, if you have a particular need for a reduced cost, please contact us.
- What's a day at camp like?
Kind of like a day at school! Hopefully, it's a lot more fun for everyone involved; but so long as a block schedule works, there's no need to reinvent the wheel.
Unlike school, we cannot provide lunches for campers. Please be sure you have either a way of packing or delivering lunches during camp!
- How do pick up and drop off work?
We take the safety of campers extremely seriously. Before camp starts, we carefully review maps of whatever school or building we use, and mark a single location for drop off. Every morning, counselors are stationed at the drop off to physically check in with parents, provide any notes regarding the day's events, and then to hand off campers to another counselor.
At the end of the day, we typically keep campers inside a common room to avoid the summer heat. This also ensures that both the camper and a designated staff member can verify that the parent picking up their campers is authorized to do so.
That's an important note: we will only allow the person(s) explicitly authorized by parents in the acceptance packet to pick up campers. If special circumstances require someone else to pick up a camper, we will require a written note or phone call first.
- What happens if I pick up my camper late?
We offer aftercare in the acceptance packet for a small additional charge from 5:00 P.M. up to 5:30 P.M. Aftercare must be requested in the packet by day. No camper will be left unattended, but failing to indicate aftercare is necessary before camp begins will incur additional charges.
- Can campers use cell phones at camp?
The answer is yes and no. While we recognize cell phones are important for keeping in touch, they are only allowed to be on during lunch and at the end of the day. Failure to observe this rule will first result in a warning, and then in the phone being confiscated for the duration of the day.
- Are there disciplinary measures?
Yes. In order to maintain a working learning environment, it is essential that campers behave themselves properly. We will communicate any problems directly to parents, but if they persist then we reserve the right to expel the offending camper without refund.
