Jan 17-18 Debate Tournament Registration Open!

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note letting you all know that the registration for the January 17-18th  debate tournament is now open! NOTE: the TP and LD competition will be held on the 17th at Capital Baptist in Annandale, VA, and the Parli competition will be held on the 18th at Eukarya Christian School in Winchester, VA.

To assist Mrs. Snyder and Mrs. Koehnke  in organizing this tournament, registration will close on January 3rd, two weeks prior to the competition. Please make sure you mail your payments in by check as well, as we won't be accepting payments at the door. Further instructions and details can be found on the registration page here. 

This tournament will be a great way to kick off the New Year as you all keep working to earn those green check marks. Keep it up! I was impressed at how solid you all were in the last Parli tournament, and look forward to see you all keep improving. 

Merry Christmas!

-Clayton

Tournament Locations Updated / All Students Please Complete Event Categories Tally

Hi Everyone!

I've just updated the tournament schedule now that our tournament locations are all in place (many thanks to Debbie Snyder for her hard work!).  Please take a moment to view that tab so you will know where the winter tournaments will be located.

Also, I have had only a handful of students mark their categories on the Competitor Events Tally.  I really need everyone to fill in their information for tournament planning purposes ASAP.  As we are securing facilities now we need to know how many competitors will be competing in each event category.  If you have not completed your tally, please don't make me come after you-- I know your email address! You can access the form directly here: Vector Competitor Event Categories Tally Form

I pray you will all be enjoying your much-needed Christmas break!  Don't forget that this school break time is a great opportunity to make some headway on those speeches you have been meaning to put together for the winter tournaments.

Merry Christmas!
Kim Millhouse

Dr. Frank Guliuzza & Dr. Michael Farris to Speak at VECTOR!

Mark your Calendars-- VECTOR Speech and Debate Club hosts two special guest speakers!

Ever wonder if all the effort to compete in speech and debate is worth it? Dr. Frank Guliuzza and Dr. Michael Farris will be sharing inspiring stories and keys to becoming a communicator with a message worth hearing. We are so privileged to have this opportunity in our community—don’t miss it!

Dr. Frank Guliuzza

Thursday, Jan 9, 2014

4:30 pm

Dr. Michael Farris

Thursday, April 3, 2014

4:30 pm

Ketoctin Presbyterian Church, 441 East Main Street, Purcellville

Dr. Frank Guliuzza, Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Government, is also an accomplished author and teacher. Verbal and written communications continue to be at the heart of all he does as a Patrick Henry College professor and coach for the mock trial and moot court teams. He has coached 22 teams of American Collegiate Moot Court Association (ACMA) students to national championship competitions, winning four mock trial invitational tournaments and five national moot court championships. Dr. Guliuzza has served as a pastor, run for United States Senate, and served as Vice Chairman of the Utah Republican Party.

Dr. Michael Farris, Chancellor of Patrick Henry College and Chairman and General Counsel of the Home School Legal Defense Association, has influenced people and policy the world over. He has used his communication skills to defend parental rights, argue before the Supreme Court, found Patrick Henry College, write over fifteen novels, textbooks, and other books, provide a nationwide radio program, and pastor a church. 

Important Announcements for This Week-- Dec 5, 2013 -- Please Read!

This week at Vector -- 

• NO Speech

• Parli Practice --  4 - 6pm  (we moved it earlier to give more time for dinner and getting to the party)

• We need at least 5 parents to judge Practice Parli rounds at club -- please email Rachel Bell if you will be there and can help.

• If you are planning on competing in the Parli Tourney on Dec 12 and haven't registered, please register TONIGHT!  (Click on the 'Register for A Tournament' tab)

• Vector Christmas Party -- 7 - 9pm at the Ehrenmans Home 
• See Vector Calendar for details and a map
• Please Bring a NUT FREE Dessert to share 
• Bring a White Elephant Gift (please bring gifts that would bless or truly provide humor for all involved--ie, no dirty socks, broken cell phones or empty gift cards)

See you all soon!

Kim Millhouse

Debate this Week...

Hi everyone,

We'll be doing Parliamentary debate during the second half of club this week. Come if you're competing in the December tournament, or if you're just interested! We will be holding practice rounds [with, hopefully, war rooms to boot].

Shoot me an email at strikebogle3x@gmail.com if you have any questions.

See you all tomorrow!
-Clayton

December 12 Parliamentary Tournement - REGISTER NOW!

Registration is now open for the December 12 Parliamentary Debate tournament hosted at the Kirkpatrick home. Click here to register! [or click on the "Register" tab at the top of the page]

Please register as soon as possible so we can figure out pairings and rounds. If you need a partner, contact Debbie Snyder at debbievirginia@gmail.com for more info.

Lets do this!

Vector Christmas Party!

All Vector Families are invited to the Vector Christmas Party!

Thursday, December 5, 2013

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

at the Ehrenman's Home

38438 Ditchling Place, Hamilton

Please Bring a Dessert to Share and a White Elephant Gift for Exchange

RSVP Penelope at ehrenman@gmail.com by Dec 1st

NOTE: On Dec 5 there will be NO Speech -- Parli Debate WILL MEET for practice rounds from 4:30-6:30 to prepare for the tournament the following week.

Vector News This Week -- November 14th

Congratulations to every student who participated in the first Speech Tournament on Sat, Nov 9!  It was a super-successful tournament with 46 competitors from the area. Everything went smooth as silk and Vector came away with several top awards and numerous Green Check Marks!  Thanks also for all the parent participation -- your providing judging and tournament staffing helped to make for a great first tournament.  I was glad too to see students there just observing!

At Vector Club this week -- Broadcasting Event Teaching & Interp Coaching!
Mrs Snyder will be visiting this week to teach us all about the new Broadcasting Speech Event.  She says it is great fun like storytelling and low prep.  Come to learn something fun and even try it out at the Nov 22 tournament next week.

If you have your Interp Script ready, bring it and get coaching on Thursday!  If you are still working on a script, come anyway and learn some techniques for making your interp piece strong. You can always learn from the coaching that others get!

Register for the Nov 22 Tournament by Friday, Nov 15!  The tournament staff is looking to make this a fun and learning tournament for everyone. Besides competition there will be opportunities to get coaching in the coaching room from other local speech coaches and time to discuss the ins and outs of each of the events.  If possible, take this opportunity to make this a time to learn more and improve before the more serious winter & spring tournaments!

See you soon!
Kim Millhouse

Mars Hill Assignments

Hey everyone!
The assignment this week is to finish the summaries and upload them and write a speech on that topic. If you have already given a speech on your topic- I've sent you a new topic.


RB

Important Information about our Nov 9 Lim Prep Tournament!

Hi Vector!

Debbie Snyder, Vector's Tournament Director, has sent me some important information about our tournament coming up Saturday, Nov 9.  Please read the following info, even if you are not planning to compete.  We still need judges, so I encourage all Vector parents to sign up to judge for at least one round if you can.  That will make our tournament successful!  Thank you! ~Kim Millhouse

Eukarya Speech Tournament Kick-Off

JUDGES ARE STILL NEEDED! Please recruit friends and family! (one round takes approx 2 hours total)

Where: Eukarya Christian Academy (see Vector Calendar details for a map)
(The street is hard to find because it looks like a driveway. It is very close to Exit 310)
199 Agape Way
Stephens City, VA 22655

When: November 9th (THIS SATURDAY)

What to bring: Food to be shared by both judges and competitors.  Please click here to sign up to bring food that is needed: Food Sign Up List

Extemp: Domestic only

Apologetics: Only one question will be given in each round. Everyone will speak on the same question. Please do not share the question with anyone until AFTER the round is complete.

Duo Impromptu: You will be given one slip of paper with four types of people to choose from (you and your partner may use one type of person each, or three or four), one setting, and one object.

Storytelling: Script submission for is NOT necessary at this tournament.

Cost: PAY AT THE DOOR - $20 at the door per child (NOT per event)

Dress Code: Gentlemen – suits; slacks and a sports coat, with a shirt and tie, and dress shoes.
Ladies – skirt or pant suits; slacks, skirts or dresses with jackets; all with nylons and professional dress shoes. Hemlines are to be at least to the knee. (This is early in the season; don’t stress out about this; just do the best you can.)

Debbie Snyder (Tournament Director)
Email: debbievirginia@gmail.com
Cell: 540-535-8539

This email was sent from the Eukarya Speech Kick-Off by Flowpad. If you no longer wish to receive emails from this tournament, you mayunsubscribe by clicking here.

Debate Tournament Results!

Congratulations to our Vector Debators who competed in the tournament yesterday!  All of you did a fantastic job getting your cases prepped for such an early tournament-- for that alone you earn many kudos!

Our Vector Team came away with several awards.  Out of 8 LD teams and 18 TP teams we came home with:

Lincoln Douglas Speaker Awards
2nd Place -- Trey Hammond
3rd Place  -- David Ehrenman

Lincoln Douglas Debate
2nd Place -- Trey Hammond

Team Policy Speaker Awards
5th Place -- Cooper Millhouse

Team Policy Debate 
7th Place -- Isaiah Gallop / Cooper Millhouse

Congratulations for all your hard work!

Address Book

The Vector Address book was sent out to all the parent's emails. Please check over your information and make sure it is correct. Let us know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
RB

Extemp And Scripts

     Thank you for letting me discuss extemporaneous speeches yesterday in club! Extemp is a category that really develops key analytical skills as well as a good awareness of what's going on in the world.

      I just want to encourage everyone that's not competing in extemp this year to do two things: 1) Consider competing or 2) Sign up to download articles for our club online boxes. Just by reading the news daily you will have more information and examples to pull from for other speeches and other debate.

       We'll be covering extemp again next week, and I just want to remind everyone of the homework. Here's what to to:

      1) Find an interesting headline that is relatively important 

      2) Read the article/s

      3) Outline a brief explanation of the event 

     Bring the outline to club. I'll be having each one of you present for a minute or so, explaining the situation and the story surrounding the headline. Just remember--this isn't a huge speech. You're simply telling a story ;)

     Also, I understand that a few of you are unsure how to format/put together a script. I've uploaded a few for you to look at and use as models to help you build those scripts:

• Individual Interp Script
• Platform Speech Script
• Duo Interp Script

Don't forget to keep working on your scripts! The sooner you get it put together, the more time you will have to work on it, and the better your speech will be!

Have an awesome weekend, and see you guys next week!

-Clayton

p.s. - If you are still interested in joining extemp, shoot an email to the Vector extemp account at wekilltreesandlaugh@gmail.com 

New Parents Judge Orientation -- Oct 31 & Nov 7 at 4pm

New Vector Parents, you may be asking, "What is involved in judging a round at a tournament?  How do I even begin to judge debate? What things do I need to know before a round?"  

Since judging at tournaments is a requirement for all competitors' parents, our goal is to prepare you so you will know what all is involved and can judge a round with confidence!  And the good news is: it's not nearly as hard as it seems -- in fact, it's quite fun!

Karen Kirkpatrick will be presenting Parent Judge Orientation for all New Vector Parents (and any old ones that want a refresher) from 4:00-5:00p on both Oct 31 & Nov 7.  Since she will cover different material each week you will benefit most by attending both sessions if possible.  She will cover things such as filling out ballots, judging the different forms of debate, criteria by which to judge each event, and time for Q & A. You don't want to miss this opportunity!

Please RSVP to karenekirkpatrick@gmail.com with any questions and to let her know you will be coming. 

Many Blessings,
Kim Millhouse

Extemp, Blocking Interps, And ALL Debaters This Week at Club, Oct 24th!

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of a slight change in this week's schedule:

4:00-5:30 -- Speech (Extemp & Interps)
6:00-7:30 -- LD / TP Debate AND Parli Debaters working on Extemp (All Debaters should be there this week)

During the Speech hours Clayton and Logan will be teaching the Ins and Outs of Extemporaneous Speaking, and we will be doing some fun activities as a part of learning how to Block your Interpretive Speeches.

With the TP / LD Tournament coming up on Nov 1, Andrew shifted the Debate schedule to focus more on those events; however, Parli Debaters will still meet with Clayton and Logan in the Kitchen during the Debate hours to learn more about and practice Extemp.

I'm also looking for students to sign up for doing the 2 minute devotions at the beginning of club.  I would really like each of you to sign up for at least one.  You can do that online on the Devotion Schedule that Beckett set up, or you can sign up on Thursday -- Beckett will send around a sign-up list in club.

To get ready for blocking your Interpretives, take a look at these YouTube videos with your parents' permission (and you may find other good ones too!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL7TwpEfnGg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDzUFg5cLVk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivRS6eVGbOw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlF5pgBgevw

Looking forward to seeing you again!
Kim Millhouse

Apologetics Sharing

We are going to use google documents to share apologetics cards. (Note: You will need a gmail account to use this...so let me know if you need me to share it with a different email then you originally gave) I have set up a folder (called: Apologetics Cards) where everyone can upload the card they have written. 

If you have not used google documents for sharing stuff...here's how it works: 

Open the email you receive telling you I have shared a folder/document with you. 

Add folder to your "drive" 

Open your google drive to put your card in that folder.  

To do that, either create a document and type or copy and paste on there. Or upload your document to that folder (using the "upload" button next to the one that says "create") 

Name the document with the question you are doing. 

Let me know if any of this doesn't make sense. :P

Also, I've sent an email with template for apologetics cards to go on. Using this template makes it easy to print the cards onto index cards. 

Please email me if you're having any trouble with assignments. :) 

See you Thursday, 

Lily 

Super Detailed Post on Google Drive

Hey y'all!
Here is a super detailed post on how to use Google Drive, currently this is only used for Extemp but the same concept will be applied to Mars Hill and Apologetics to a certain extent.


Step One: 
Open the news source you would like to add an article from. Also, make sure you have your email open and your CleanPrint tab up. (In this case, I have both my personal email and the Vector extemp email up- both of them have access to the Extemp google drive, so it doesn't matter, however make sure that the email you use has access.)

Highlighted in this picture: the email tabs, the article I'm going to add to the drive, and the CleanPrint tab

Step Two:
After you've clicked on the article, click on the CleanPrint button.

Highlighted in this Picture: the CleanPrint button


Step Three: 
Once the CleanPrint pops up, click the arrow to reveal more options.

Highlighted in this Picture: arrow to reveal more options

Once you've clicked that click on the GoogleDrive icon.

Highlighted in this picture: GoogleDrive Icon


Step Four:
Click on the GoogleDrive Icon and choose to Save to GoogleDrive as a PDF

Highlighted in this Picture: the Save to Google Drive as PDF option


Step Five:
If you have more than one email open it will prompt you to choose which email. Make sure you add it to the email that has access to the file. (Again, I could choose either- if you need it shared with another gmail, email me and ask.)

^This tab will pop up, at this point it is saved in your google drive! Now to transfer to it the right spot!

Step Six:

Click on the little squares next to your email to find your GoogleDrive

Highlighted in this Picture: the little square thingie that has no name :)

Click on the GoogleDrive Icon

Highlighted in this Picture: The GoogleDrive icon


Step Seven:
Find the article and drag it to the Vector Extemporaneous 2013-2014 (If you have access to last years file, remember to add it the 2013-2014 file)

Highlighted in this Picture: The Extemp 2013-2014 file and the article pdf


Step Eight:

Continue dragging the article into more subfiles until you find the one that it belongs in. If you have any questions as to where file something- add it to the TO ORGANIZE file and email Logan, Clayton, or myself (Rachel.)
This particular article goes:
Vector Extemporaneous>Domestic>Government>Policy:HealthCare>ObamaCare



Voila! You're done!




I know it seems like it takes forever because of how many steps I broke it into, but it really only takes about 10-30 seconds per article. I normally save all my articles into my drive in one big dump and then go and file them all.


Also: Extempers- we will be teaching Extemp during speech for the next two weeks, please come at the speech time for instruction. 

Policy and Values Debate the Next Two Weeks

Distinguished Debaters,

We will be focusing on Policy and Values debate the next two weeks to prepare for the tournament at the beginning of November. Those of you who are only in parli are not required to attend. Everyone else, please be ready to discuss policy and values.

Andrew Ferguson

T-Shirt Winner!

Congratulations to David Watson for designing an awesome t-shirt! We'll be ordering shirts soon. Our club shirts will be Royal Blue, but just to remind you, here's a picture of the T-shirt y'all voted in!

Apologetics, Extemp, and Mars Hill

Mars Hill
Everyone remember that your summaries need to be in by next week. The summaries need to be pretty conclusive (like at least  2 paragraphs) and then there's additional paragraph about the biblical aspects :)

Extemp
Since we haven't heard from anyone about having problems downloading google drive, we assume everyone did it ok. I emailed a few of you a little bit ago about some of you not having gmails. YOU MUST HAVE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT TO COMPETE IN EXTEMP. Please email me your gmail address if you would like to compete. Assignments are going out tonight. Clayton will be sending out an email to the extempers soon to explain how to add them to the drive. (If you know how to add it to the drive- go ahead and start)

Apologetics 
Remember to do your assignment!

We talked about the Apol party on the 26th, everyone should go, it will be so awesome and help us out immensely!

Apologetic Preparation Party for November 9th
Limited Prep Speech Tournament
When: October 26th
Time: 1:00-4:00
Where: Snyder Home: 431 Lily’s Way, Winchester, VA 22601
Goal: To brain-storm 12 world-view questions onto a google site for competition purposes for the November 9th
How: Students and parents sit around a table, working and brainstorming together.
This method has been used for a couple of years now and is always productive and a lot of fun.
Bring: computer, commentaries, books, etc.
Parents welcome to help brainstorm but parental involvement is not required.
**Snacks, tea, & coffee provided
Questions:
Mrs. Snyder
debbievirginia@gmail.com
540-535-8539





SIGN UP FOR THE NOVEMBER 9th TOURNEY!!!!

Heads Up for Club This Week, Oct 17!

Hi Everyone!

This week in club we will be talking about Platform Speeches and doing some brainstorming for creative and top notch topics for platforms.  Be sure to bring in your news or feature articles or list of topics you discovered this week for the brainstorming session with Becca. Something the Millhouses do as a family is to grab a pile of recent "World" or "Time" Magazines and the Newspaper, and go through them together at the lunch table and compile a list of great topics for persuasive speeches.

Clayton will be there this week to give a great example of Storytelling and give several of you an opportunity to also do this in club.  We brainstormed stories with a moral last week, so be thinking of one you would like to tell.

Rachel will also be doing "Tourney Time" to get you all up to speed with the details of what competing in a tournament will be like.  We want you to feel prepared in every way!

And if you were prepped to do Duo Impromptu last week, I'm sorry we ran out of time, but get ready to go on Thursday!  I have planned more time for games this week so do your best to arrive in time for the coaches to begin right at 4:00.

I will be in NYC this week with our Mock Trial team, so please be praying for Lily, Logan, and Cooper as they compete with the C4 team this weekend.

See you soon!
Mrs. Millhouse

Mars Hill & Apologetics Assignments

Hey! I've sent out an email with Apologetics assignments. Let me know if you didn't get it. :) Also, if you have any questions or don't know where to start with writing, feel free to send me an email. (whateverisnoble@gmail.com)

-Lily

Mars Hill Assignments went out as well, let me know if you didn't get it. Ask any questions! (17actsfortruth@gmail.com or monkeylizard151@gmail.com)
-Rachel

Help with Making Scripts!

In talking with some moms this past week I realize that some of you may need help with making your Interp scripts. Take a look at the VectorVirginia.blogspot.com website--I just created a tab called "How Do I Make a Script?"

Click on the tab for instructions and an example of what your script should look like.  The left column is a sample text from a story, and the right column is what your typed script should look like.  Notice the changes between the two--quotation marks, explanatory words, and some narration are omitted.

If you still need help, please don't hesitate to ask one of the coaches, and we will have "Script Help" time planned for club in just a few weeks.

Blessings,
Kim Millhouse

Speech Homework Assignments for Oct 17!

For those of you who were there, and those who couldn't make it, I wanted to reiterate the homework I assigned you at the end of club.  Even if you are not planning to compete in Apologetics and Mars Hill this year, we are going to work together as a team to write some of the Apol cards and Mars Hill summaries to help those who are (and it will help you get ready when you do!).  All speech students should this week:

1. Write 1 Apologetics Card like we did on the board in club (Lily will email assignments & instructions)
2. Write 1 Mars Hill Topic Summary (Rachel will email assignments & instructions)
3. Look for Platform Speech topics in periodicals such as newspapers (Op/Ed or Commentary pages), news magazines, Wall Street Journal, World Magazine, etc.  Copy article or write down a list of possible topics you find and bring to club next week. Becca will be teaching about platform speeches in club.

I will not be in club next week, but your awesome Assistant Coaches, Rachel, Becca and Clayton will be there to provide all the teaching and fun!  Have a great week!

And please, if you are having trouble understanding assignments or anything at all, that is totally normal, so please ask one of the coaches for help!!  We are here to make this learning process easier for you!

Many Blessings,
Kim Millhouse

P.S.  Don't forget to start working on your Interp and Platform scripts!  Our goal is to have something ready by the Nov 22 tournament:)!

Parli & Extemp - [10-10-13]

Hi everyone!

During debate this week, we will be practicing our Parlimentary debate skills and learning more about Extemporaneous speaking. Stay at club if you are interested in either! Both categories are fantastic opportunities to develop your analytical and speaking-on-the-fly skills. I'll be teaching more about extemp and showing you how to develop a strong speech on any current events topic. If you are even slightly interested in extemp, I encourage you to listen in!

For those of you who gave us your email indicating your interest in extemp, please read the post Rachel sent out this last week [click here to go to it]. If you can get set up with Google Drive and CleanPrint, we've won half the battle :). We'll need to get cracking on downloading articles for competition. Please let either Rachel or me know if you need any help!

See all of you Thursday,
-Clayton

Apologetics & Mars Hill

Apologetics

Hey everyone.

First, since the tournament is coming up soon...if you're planning on competing in apologetics, you will need to purchase an apologetics box. Here's one as an example: http://amzn.to/1ghkuwp. Really, just anything that will fit 4x6 index cards. Which means you need to also purchase index cards to print your cards. ;) 

Second, this Thursday we will be brainstorming another card in club. If you have the time, start thinking about/reading about this question: Compare and contrast the Muslim view of God with the Christian view of God.

Third, I will be sending out assignments for the first round of apologetics speeches soon. The questions relate to differences between Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. Pretty interesting! 

See you Thursday, 
Lily ;) 

Mars Hill

On Thursday, I need everyone to bring paper and a 3x5 or a 4x6 card, we will be practicing writing and giving Mars Hill speeches. Also, everyone needs to have a binder and dividers starting really soon :) We're going to start writing summaries next week, so we'll need a place to put them!

See you Thursday,
Rachel ;) 

Extemp

If you are participating in Extemp, read on.

The way we distribute articles for Extemp is through having Google drive downloaded onto our computers.

Click here for instructions on how to download.

You will also need to add the "Clean Print" tab to your bookmark to your browser. (Logan and/or Clayton will explain how of this makes sense later)

Click here for instructions IF using Google Chrome.

Click here for instructions IF using other browsers. (It says Chrome but it works on other browsers too)



Let us know if you have any trouble or questions.

RB

C4 TP/LD Nov. 1st Registration Open

Hey everyone,
Mrs. Koehnke just sent out the C4 TP/LD registration link. If you need any help figuring out things, don't be afraid to ask.

RB

Link: (also available on tournament tab) http://c4forensicsclub.org/?page_id=485

Vector T-Shirt Contest Extended!

To give you a little more time we have decided to extend the deadline! If you have a design idea for the 2013-14 Vector T-Shirt it's not too late to send it in to Mrs Hammond (click here).  Email your design to her by Tues, October 8th. And be sure to include Isaiah 43:10 in your design. We will vote in Club on the 10th for our 2013-14 T-Shirt!

Parent Volunteer Positions-- Looking good! Thank you!

I was so pleased when I looked today to see the Parent Volunteer list filling up so nicely!  As we are a club, not a class, it is encouraging to the leadership to have these jobs taken off our plates.  Thank you for your faithfulness to work together on this endeavor.

If you haven't already signed up for a position, we are still in need of a few jobs being covered.  Some of the jobs we need covered are providing oversight for the condition of the church after our meetings each week. Other positions are offering to help with moving tables and chairs and clean-up before and after tournaments (often this means coordinating with the students to do the actual work!). If you would like to do a particular job, but it is already filled, please let Sara Watson know. We would love to have more than enough hands to spread the work.  Many hands will definitely make the work lighter for everyone and we can all enjoy the process of watching our kids grow in their skills.

To volunteer, please click on this link:  Parent Volunteer Positions

Thank you!

Many Blessings,
Kim Millhouse

November 9th Tournament

Hey y'all! The first tournament of the year is on the 9th of November and registration has just opened! If you are familiar with registering, go ahead (link is below.) If you're not, don't worry, we'll cover that tomorrow in Tourney Time! If you have still questions about events or how to register, talk to myself or Mrs. Millhouse tomorrow after club. The tournament information and a note from Mrs. Millhouse are below, please read!

See y'all tomorrow!

Rachel

Vector families, our first tournament is coming up soon!  Debbie Snyder, our Tournament Director, is asking our club to support with providing Tournament Tab & Judging/Recruiting Judges. To register as a student competitor or as a parent judge click on the link below. Students, this is a great opportunity to get your feet wet. Don't worry, we are going to work hard in club to get you ready! Parents, this is a great opportunity to see how a tournament works, and enjoy the fun and fellowship! 

Mrs. Millhouse

             Eukarya Kick-off Speech Tournament

                          Limited Prep Tournament

When:  Saturday, November 9th 

Where:  Agape Church, 199 Agape Way, Stephens City, VA 22655

Who: Competitors must be 12 by January 1st, 2014. (Younger children are welcome to watch and learn; they can be quickly taught to time speeches during the competition rounds).

Sign up TODAY to compete and/or judge.  

Click on link below for all necessary information for both.

https://eukaryakickoff.homeschooldebate.net

 

Students can compete in one or more events.  Newer competitors usually concentrate on one event only.  Those students who just want to watch and/or time are welcome too. Everyone is welcome.

Tournament Events: Extemporaneous, Apologetics, Storytelling, Duo Impromptu, Mars Hill Impromptu. Rules and ballots can be accessed at Stoausa.org

Contact: Debbie Snyder  

debbievirginia@gmail.com  540-723-0125 (h)  540-535-8539 (c)

Vector T-shirt Design Contest!

If you would like to put your design skills to the task, we are calling for designs for the Vector Club T-shirt.  All designs should include our club verse, Isaiah 43:10: 

“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
    “and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
    and understand that I am He.

If you would like to contribute a design to be considered, please email your design to Mrs. Donna Hammond, at donnakh@comcast.net, by October 1st.

We will vote by secret ballot the following week. Thank you Mrs. Hammond for organizing our T-shirts this year!

Interps and Platform Scripts

Hi Vector Students!

For those of you planning on doing an Interpretation, I hope you have had a chance to take a look at the literature lists links on the Vector website, or have taken a trip to the Library.  Our first prepared speech tournament (Platforms & Interps) is scheduled for November 22. I hope you will set your sights on making that a practice tournament--remember, competing in tournaments is the best practice there is!

When choosing your piece for your Interp remember to choose a book or play (or scene from a book or play) that contains a clear beginning, middle, and end (a plot is essential!).  Also, look for pieces which have more dialogue than narration (some narration is fine however).  Find a piece that you like and preferably one which has a message you can highlight. Remember, children's books can make great interps.

With the Nov 22 tournament date, a good goal would be to choose a piece in the next week or two, and try to have your script finished by the last week of October.  That will give you a full month to memorize and block your piece!  And don't worry if you need help with your script, we'll have time dedicated in club in November to make sure you know what it should look like.

If you are planning on writing a Platform Speech, begin outlining your speech now, and then start gathering your research and examples.  A good goal would be to have your Platform script written by the first week of November, which will allow you a couple of weeks to memorize you script.  (Memorizing a speech can take anywhere from 2 days to a week, to two weeks, depending on how much time you devote to it.)

This week in club we will cover "Cutting Your Interp Piece", doing some Impromptu practice, and, of course, we will work in some games!  Rachel Bell will also be there to do a short "Tourney Time" to cover tournament registration and attire.

See you Thursday!
Mrs. Millhouse

Orientation Prezi

Hey everyone!

We had a fantastic orientation meeting and a great start to our year! (Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Millhouse!)

Some of you asked if the Prezi could be posted online for future reference: here it is! You may need an account to view, but its fairly simple and they don't spam you with emails (so far in my experience!)

We hope to see everyone back next week in business casual ready for fun!


Don't be afraid to email anyone with questions! We're so excited you decided to join in this wonderful experience!

1st Vector Club Meeting this Thursday, Sept 12th!

Hi Everyone!

The Vector Leadership is looking forward to seeing you all at the Orientation Meeting this Thursday! We will begin sharply at 4:00 pm, so please come early.  This is an all-encompassing meeting, so ALL Speech and Debate students must attend this meeting with at least one parent. Debate students will continue with the Debate Orientation at 6:00. However, I want to encourage all 'Speech Only' students to stay for the debate orientation if possible, as it will be a great introductory lesson for anyone interested in finding what debate is all about.

Please feel free to join us at Tropical Smoothie Cafe for dinner, or if you would like to bring a brown-bagged dinner, the church kitchen is available for our use during the break.

We have a lot of new information to cover, and we are excited to share with you the plans we have in the works for a successful speech and debate year. We hope you are as excited about Vector Club this year as we are; we have seen God go before us in many ways to prepare rich opportunities for the students to grow.

See you soon!

Many blessings,
Kim Millhouse

Announcing the Vector Debate Coaching Staff for 2013-14

We are pleased to announce the Vector Debate Debate Coaching Staff for 2013-14!

Chloe Bozarth Snyder—Team Policy Debate Coach—was State Champion, two-time Regional Champion, award-winner at three National Championships in Debate, and consistently won top speaker awards throughout high school. Additionally, Chloe took first place in many speech events. She has served on staff for Patrick Henry College's Teen Debate Camps and this summer directed PHC's first ever Teen Speech Camp. She has served as a coach for the 2012 Ethos Speech & Debate and International Relations camps in Singapore. Currently, Chloe directs the private coaching division of Ethos Debate and privately tutors speech, debate, and literature students around the globe.

Andrew Ferguson – Lincoln Douglas & Parliamentary Debate Coach-- is a recent graduate of Patrick Henry College, and two-time Moot Court National Champion (2012 & 2013). In high school, Andrew participated in values debate his senior year, and continued debating in both policy and parliamentary debate in college. He was a member of PHC's moot court team for all four of his college years. He has coached values debate for four years and has written a textbook on the topic. He currently serves as an assistant coach for PHC's moot court team. Andrew has faithfully coached our Vector LD team for the past four years.

We are excited to have these experienced coaches as part of our club. If you haven't considered debate or are on the fence about it, I want to encourage you to make the most of this opportunity. Also if you know of anyone else who would like to benefit from their coaching and experience, please pass the word!  

Vector on Social Media!

Vector now has pages on Google+ and Facebook. Hop on over and +1 or Like today!

Google+ Page: Vector Speech and Debate

Facebook Page: Vector Speech and Debate Club

Emails from Vector Speech and Debate

We understand that there are seasons in life for everything, so if you prefer to no longer receive these email posts from Vector Speech and Debate please click on the "Unsubscribe Now" button at the bottom of this email.

Please know that we have enjoyed you being a part of our club and will miss you!

Blessings,
The Vector Board

New Club Times for Vector 2013-14!

New Club Times for Vector 2013-14!

After getting feedback from several families, much prayer and seeking godly counsel, the Vector leadership has decided to shorten the club time for the upcoming year to help families keep a better balance between Speech and Debate and other homeschooling commitments.  

Our New Vector Schedule for 2013-14:

Speech 4:00 - 5:30p

Break 5:30 - 6:00p

Debate 6:00 - 7:30p  (This time may be occasionally extended to 8pm to accommodate practice rounds.)

I hope this will bless those families who are currently a part of Vector and additionally make it easier for new families to join us!

Our first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept 12, at 4:00pm.  I will send another notice soon regarding our exciting new changes for debate leadership!

Hope you are having a great summer!

Blessings,

Kim Millhouse

NITOC Competitors

Congrats to the Vector NITOC competitors of 2013!

NITOC Finals Breaks!!!

Finals Breaks:

Apol:

Clayton

Extemp:

Logan

Humorous:

Cooper

Persuasive:

Clayton

NITOC Semifinals Breaks!!!

Semifinals Breaks:

Apol:

Clayton

Impromptu:

Jane

Logan

Extemp:

Logan

Humorous:

Cooper

Mars Hill:

Logan 

OO:

Nicolette DeFrank

Matthew DeFrank

Persuasive:

Clayton

Storytelling:

Clayton

NITOC Quarterfinals Breaks!!!

Quarterfinals Breaks

Apol:

Jane

Lily

Clayton

Logan

Duo:

Millhouse-Millhouse 

Impromptu:

Jane

Logan

Extemp:

Logan

Clayton

Humorous:

Matthew DeFranke

David E

Cooper

Mars Hill:

Nicolette DeFrank

Logan 

OI:

Clayton

OO:

Nicolette DeFrank

Matthew DeFrank

Jane

Persuasive:

Logan

Anna

Clayton

Storytelling:

Clayton