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Your first speech starts here. A guided 10-day camp that takes students from zero experience to their first competitive debate round — through improv games, coached practice, and a structured curriculum built by real classroom teachers.
Residential Camp
Middle - High School
Location
Student Teacher Ratio
Camps
Student Camped
Parents Satisfaction
Coaches
Days 1–2 start with improv games and impromptu speaking drills — no debate jargon, no pressure. Students respond to a variety of prompts: some build impromptu speeches, some prepare a short argument under time constraints, and others train quick thinking on their feet. The goal is to get every student comfortable speaking before introducing competition.
Students will review skills learned asynchronously with guided questions from staff.
Coaches will walk students through an activity to practice core skills reviewed in that morning's lecture.
Students will do their first practice debate of the day and get extensive feedback from the coaches judging.
Eat lunch!
Groups of 6–8 with one coach. Targeted improvement and skill-building based on the feedback from morning round.
Guided time to update or cases based on feedback from the morning round.
Students take skills from the day's activities to do their second practice debate of the day, also coach-guided and with extensive feedback.
Evidence research, coach office hours, or additional drills for students who want more.
Head Coach | St. Luke's
Bryce coached Public Forum for the Lakeville Debate Team, growing the squad from a couple of students to a nationally competitive squad of a dozen debaters. Bryce also served as the President of the student-run Minnesota NPDA and is the foudner of Public Forum Boot Camp
Director of Debate | Civic Debate Academy
Katheryne was top speaker at Harvard , top-5 speaker awards at Valley, Blake, and Bronx, semifinalist at the TOC, 2x champion of the Valley, finalist at the Harvard, and semifinalist at Blake. As a coach, Katheryne has worked as an assistant at Taipei American School as well as ISD and NSD
Assistant Coach | The Blake School
Christian has worked as an assistant debate coach at the Blake School. Since then he has coached multiple invitational, state, and national champions, (NDCA and TOC) and was a Senior lab leader at the Harvard Debate Council’s Summer Workshops
Head Coach | St. Luke's
Bryce coached Public Forum for the Lakeville Debate Team, growing the squad from a couple of students to a nationally competitive squad of a dozen debaters. Bryce also served as the President of the student-run Minnesota NPDA and is the foudner of Public Forum Boot Camp
Director of Debate | Civic Debate Academy
Katheryne was top speaker at Harvard , top-5 speaker awards at Valley, Blake, and Bronx, semifinalist at the TOC, 2x champion of the Valley, finalist at the Harvard, and semifinalist at Blake. As a coach, Katheryne has worked as an assistant at Taipei American School as well as ISD and NSD
Assistant Coach | The Blake School
Christian has worked as an assistant debate coach at the Blake School. Since then he has coached multiple invitational, state, and national champions, (NDCA and TOC) and was a Senior lab leader at the Harvard Debate Council’s Summer Workshops
Head Coach | St. Luke's
Bryce coached Public Forum for the Lakeville Debate Team, growing the squad from a couple of students to a nationally competitive squad of a dozen debaters. Bryce also served as the President of the student-run Minnesota NPDA and is the foudner of Public Forum Boot Camp
Director of Debate | Civic Debate Academy
Katheryne was top speaker at Harvard , top-5 speaker awards at Valley, Blake, and Bronx, semifinalist at the TOC, 2x champion of the Valley, finalist at the Harvard, and semifinalist at Blake. As a coach, Katheryne has worked as an assistant at Taipei American School as well as ISD and NSD
Assistant Coach | The Blake School
Christian has worked as an assistant debate coach at the Blake School. Since then he has coached multiple invitational, state, and national champions, (NDCA and TOC) and was a Senior lab leader at the Harvard Debate Council’s Summer Workshops
NDC faculty are not just award-winning debaters, they are some of the most effective teachers. Each staff member goes through dozens of hours of training and is dedicated to the success of every student
Director of Debate, University of Chicago
Lead Travel Team Coach, Coach at the Nueva School
Lead Travel Team Coach, Coach at Strake Jesuit
Lead Travel Team Coach, University of Pittsburgh
Lead Travel Team Coach, Harvard University
Lead Travel Team Coach, Director of Debate at St. Luke's School
Lead Travel Team Coach, NYU Stern
Lead Travel Team Coach, Brown University
Lead Travel Team Coach, University of Michigan
Lead Travel Team Coach, Duke University
Lead Travel Team Coach, Emory University
Lead Travel Team Coach, Cornell University
Lead Travel Team Coach, University of Wisconsin Madison
Lead Travel Team Coach, George Washington University
Travel Team Coach, University of Texas at Austin
Lead Travel Team Coach, Northwestern University
Travel Team Staff, University of Pennsylvania
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of Southern California
Travel Team Staff, University of Pennsylvania
Lead Coach, Vanderbilt University
Travel Team Staff, Georgetown University
Travel Team Staff, University of Southern California
Travel Team Staff, Georgetown University
Travel Team Staff, Harvard University
Travel Team Coach, Dartmouth University
Travel Team Staff, Yale University
Travel Team Coach, Stanford University
Travel Team Staff, University of California San Diego
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Columbia University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, New York University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of Chicago
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Northeastern University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Congressional Coach, Stanford University
Congressional Coach, University of California, Berkeley
Congressional Coach, Vanderbilt University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Dartmouth University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of Texas Austin
Assistant Travel Team & Policy Coach, Western Kentucky University
Assistant Travel Team & Policy Coach, University of Iowa
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Columbia University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of California Berkeley
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of Notre Dame
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of Virginia
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Stanford University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Williams College
Assistant Travel Team Coach, George Washington University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of Michigan
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of Maryland College Park
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of Texas Austin
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University College London
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of Toronto
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of California Los Angeles
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Yale University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of California Berkeley
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Arizona State University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of Chicago
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Georgetown University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of Michigan
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Stanford University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Cornell University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Harvard University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Columbia University
Assistant Travel Team Coach, University of Michigan
Assistant Travel Team Coach, Case Western Reserve University
Not 30. Not 20. Our labs are small by design so every student gets coach time, feedback time, and round time daily. Staff step in during practice to guide, not just observe.
Our curriculum is built by classroom teachers and nationally recognized coaches with results at NSDA Nationals, TOC, and state championships across every region of PF since 2016. They teach — not just lecture.
Every camp ends with a multi-round tournament in a low-stakes, high-support environment. Staff guide the experience so the focus stays on skill development and ethical competitive practices.
Students leave with guided research and a full packet of evidence on the September/October competition topic — ready to use in their first tournament of the season.
Students will stay in a secure, comfortable hotel with separate accommodations, 24/7 supervision, and well-maintained facilities for a safe and pleasant stay.
Jul 11- Jul 22
On-site Staff throughout
Included in Tuition
A/C Classrooms
Small Group Feedback Sessions
Camp Certificate
Fun Day
Work with Varsity Students
Room and Board Included
No experience? No problem. A guided 10-day introduction to public speaking and debate — from improv games to your first competitive round.
Your first speech starts here. A guided 10-day camp that takes students from zero experience to their first competitive debate round — through improv games, coached practice, and a structured curriculum built by real classroom teachers.
Introductory
July 12 - July 22, 2026$3,295
Pre-camp classes that build speaking and argumentation skills before day one. Students arrive prepared, not playing catch-up.
$649
$3,744
$3,944
Debate camp is an investment in your student's confidence, communication skills, and competitive future. Tuition includes a prep package and weekly mock and drill sessions at no extra charge — plus financial aid and early bird discounts to help make it work.
Financial aid is awarded on a case-by-case basis. Click here to schedule a financial consultation with us.
CDA offers both online classes across the country and in-person class in Chicago to fit students’ needs, ensuring flexibility and access to high-quality coaching regardless of location. The National Debate Club Travel Team is hosted online with in-person and online tournaments.
