MNHS&D

Our Mission statement:

The purpose of Minnesota Homeschool Speech and Debate (MNHS&D) is to help homeschooled students in Minnesota become more effective communicators for Christ,equipping them to address issues from a Biblical worldview in a manner that glorifies God. This will be accomplished by encouraging the development of speech and debate skills and by supporting and/or facilitating speech and debate tournaments. MNHS&D will also function as an information clearinghouse for those interested or presently involved in speech and debate.

Testimonies...

What do parents, coaches, and speakers say about competitive speech and debate?

• “My friends and I laughed when I began competitive speech; I was the one who mumbled, panicked, and lost track during oral reports. God (in His) sovereignty led my mom to sign me up for a Speech Interpretation class.  I would never have believed that I would love it so much! Speech has been invaluable to me, I see how God has used it in my life.  I have learned new skills and have gained confidence.  My trip to the National Tournament was amazing.  I loved meeting new people and hearing so many great speeches.  Winning first place was exciting, but even more exciting was seeing God’s faithfulness to me.  I pray that God will use my experience and all that I learned for His glory.  Speech offers opportunities for everyone, I highly recommend it!” (Natalie Eaton, Thematic Interpretation 1st place winner, 2010 National)

• “I served as a judge for the MN State Homeschool Speech and Debate tournament.   I [found] it very well-managed by parents and highly respected by a group of first-rate, talented, dedicated young people to whom we look for future leadership.  As a former judge of public school speech tournaments, this event rivaled them in every category.  What struck me was the discipline and hard work revealed through the high quality of presentations by the students.  Involvement in speech and debate is an indicator of future commitment to serve in our communities and our churches, so I appreciated every effort put forth by the parents and teachers whose expectations of the children pushed them to excel in communication at the highest standards of achievement.  Besides serving in the state legislature, I am a retired public high school English teacher who set high standards for my students when they demonstrated understanding of the skills of communication, and I rank the home school speech students as well-prepared as my top students.  The home-schooled students have learned  well and demonstrated that in the state tournament.” (Minnesota State Representative Sondra Erickson)

• “Minnesota Homeschool Speech and Debate has been life changing in our family.  We have been [involved] for three years.  My middle daughter’s goal in starting speech was to glorify God in her work and words.  The first year she did a Dramatic Interpretation about a concentration camp survivor.  Later we had the opportunity to hear that survivor speak.  My daughter was asked to share her speech with the survivor and others.  It was a memory of a life time, and she is so thankful for God’s grace and opportunity to use her gift!  My oldest daughter had never competed or spoken publicly, but she took what she had learned from her sister, judged at tournaments, and delivered the Student Address at her graduation.  My third daughter started last year, found out how much there is to learn, and how much she enjoys it.  This has been a journey that has brought focus, discipline, and determination not only to their character, but also their academics, and their walks with the Lord.  As parents, we look forward to judging tournaments, and encouraging students in sharing their gifts and growing in their skills.  We praise God for this opportunity, and for all the teachers and helpers who have guided us in this life skill.  Share this gift with your children, and watch the Lord work through them.” (Homeschool Mom and speech encourager, Renee Skeate)