Semper Paratus

Translated to English: “Always Ready”

Semper Paratus Speech & Debate Club is an NCFCA affiliated coaching club with the mission of preparing students to participate in the NCFCA Tournaments.

All families are required to join the national organization and participate in at least one tournament per year. (This often means traveling 3+ hours for the 2-5 day tournaments.)

Please consider the cost of travel & professional attire before registering:

Participation can be costly (travel, tournament registrations, formal attire and lodging & food, etc) but participation is well worth the investment in your children's abilities, development and future career. We just want you to be able to count the cost before committing.

Speech Categories:

Limited Prep: Apologetics, Impromptu, Extemporaneous

Interpretation: Duo, Open, Biblical, Original

Platform: Digital, Informative, Persuasive

Learn more about Speech Categories

Debate Categories:

Lincoln Douglas: Philosophical or Value debate (1:1 ratio)

In value debate, one debater affirms the resolution while another opposes or negates it. This style of debate, named after the famous debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, explores a philosophical clash of competing but morally defensible values.

Team Policy: (2:2 Ratio): Policy debate challenges students to think critically about laws, regulations, and policies that impact societies. It seeks to identify possible problems with current conditions (the status quo) and weigh the advantages and disadvantages associated with making a change in policy. The requirement to alternate between affirming and negating a resolution helps students learn that there are reasonable arguments for both sides of most policy proposals.

Debate FAQ’s

Registration Fees:

Registration for the 2025-26 school year is now open!

Early Bird discounts will be available until July 11th.

Cost to join is $50/Speech OR Debate & $75 for both per student of competition age.

Juniors program is offered free of charge for families with competitors only.

Families are capped at a total of $150.

NCFCA Affiliation is an additional cost and must be completed before September 1st.

*Club members are expected to participate in at least 1 tournament per season. This is where the hard work sees reward and students are inspired to persevere toward a higher calling.