Online Middle School Team

Welcome to speech and debate! If you’re in grades 5-9, we’d like to invite you to join Ascend Academy’s online middle school speech and debate team. Through the prism of Congressional Debate, we introduce middle school students to the world of speech and debate through multiple online classes every week and online competition opportunities through the school year. Congressional Debate bridges the presentation and pathos skills learned in speech events and the research and argumentation skills learned in traditional debate events. Students gain an understanding of a wide variety of the most prescient issues facing the United States and the world. Students who participate in Congressional Debate become more knowledgeable of real world issues and develop the ability to opine on a broad variety of issues, making themselves more aware members of society as they mature. Participating in middle school speech and debate sets students up for early success in high school speech and debate.

Ascend Academy Online Middle School Team Pricing

  • Month-to-Month Commitment: $399.99/month

  • Second Semester Commitment: $2,099.99, January 1 to June 30 ($350/month)

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Why Middle School Speech & Debate?

  • Speech and debate is one of the largest academic extracurriculars in the world: while the activity is largest in high school, proactive students begin in middle school

  • College admissions committees value students with notable accomplishments in speech and debate. For many students who start in high school, the wins that colleges value the most occur in 12th grade after they submit their applications

  • Starting speech and debate in middle school maximizes students’ likelihood of winning the tournaments that make a difference on applications while also demonstrating multi-year commitment to a premier extracurricular that colleges love

  • Want to discuss the role of speech and debate in the college admissions process? Schedule a call now!

Ascend Academy Logistics

  • We offer multiple weekly group coaching sessions. While we recommend students attend both sessions, we expect students to attend at least one of the following two sessions hosted on Zoom:

    • Wednesday: 4:30pm-6:30pm PT

    • Sunday: 10:00am-12:00pm PT

  • Our middle school program is led by Ascend’s Director of Online Middle School Speech & Debate, Jake Dean, a PhD student at UC Santa Barbara and the 2016 NSDA National Champion in Congressional Debate. Divya Kukreja serves as Assistant Director of Online Middle School Speech & Debate.

Academic Year Schedule

  • Classes will take place from the week of September 16, 2024 until the week of June 13, 2025. While we encourage all students to join in September, we welcome students to join through the school year

  • Students will have opportunities to compete under the Ascend Academy name, which is ideal for students without their own teams. Students must be enrolled in monthly classes to be eligible to compete on the Ascend Academy Team

  • Please see below a tentative tournament schedule for the Ascend Academy Team:

    • NSDA Springboard Scrimmage: November 7, 2024 (Online)

    • Regent Legacy Invitational: December 14-15, 2024 (Online)

    • Stanford Invitational: February 8-9, 2025 (Online)

    • Harvard Invitational: February 15-17, 2025 (Online)

    • Ascend Middle School Invitational: April 2025 (Online)

    • Middle School Tournament of Champions: May 2025 (Online)

    • NSDA National Tournament: June 17-20, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa

Key Features

  • Expert Coaches

    Our coaches include a former national champion and years of coaching experience! Students will receive expert mentorship throughout every session.

  • Tournaments

    By joining Ascend Academy, you uniquely can compete at the best middle school tournaments in the country, preparing students for the highest levels of competition.

  • Social

    Meet ambitious middle schoolers from across the country! This both helps in competition and allows students to join a team where they can make new friendships that last a lifetime!

  • Lectures

    From topic and skills lectures to classes focused on presentation skills, the lessons students learn will enhance their knowledge of the world and public speaking abilities.

  • Practice Skills

    The best way to internalize anything is by putting it into action. At Ascend Academy, students will practice against peers in a coach-guided setting.

  • Experience

    There are other middle school academies, but none bring the level of experience that Ascend brings to the best. You deserve experts, not rookies.

FAQs

  • Yes we absolutely do, please email us at info@ascendspeech.org or schedule a call on our Calendly to discuss your request!

  • The Ascend Academy Middle School Team is designed for students in grades 5-9. If you are in an age range outside these grades but are still interested in joining, we'd like to discuss your specific circumstance in additional detail. Schedule a call now.

  • Ascend Academy does not offer refunds.