As a debater in highschool Isaiah always thought how awesome it would be to coach. Then he co-founded a club in MD and was the debate coach, while placing 3rd in 2004 NCFCA nationals in team policy. Then he went to PHC on a debate scholarship (turning down a trumpet scholarship… his other love). Then he did LD policy, LD value, Team Policy, Team Value, Parliamentary, and Moot Court, winning lots of tournaments and first place speaker awards and placing in the top 5 at collegiate nationals in multiple leagues. Eventually Isaiah became executive debate coach at PHC and led 60+ debaters in 3 leagues to many championship victories.

Josiah McPeak, unlike Ty Harding, was actually the world’s most reluctant convert to debate. He’ll beat Ty on that point any day of the week and twice on February 29. Besides sloppy handwriting, way too many nerds, and an older brother’s shadow, Josiah was a football champ – earning MVP in the Maryland state championship, played in the Naval Academy’s stadium. But then he got injured real bad and God made him work on brains and wisdom. Ultimately, Josiah won NCFCA nationals in 2010 with partner Patrick Shipsey, and won the first Parli Invitation Tournament of Champions for highschool in 2011 with Ethos author Peter Voell (beating Ty… see second sentence). Now Josiah is on ROTC scholarship at CalPoly where he is majoring in Economics.

Anna Snyder is an experienced communications coach and teacher. She has coached Ethos speech and debate camps for several summers and spent a summer teaching at a Korean school. Anna’s ability to teach comes from her many years of competitive experience. She has won numerous top awards as a debater and speaker at local, regional, and national levels. Anna is a senior at Master’s College in California and enjoys international travel, having volunteered and studied in Argentina, Honduras, Guatemala, and Israel.

Ty is one of the debate world’s most reluctant converts to debate. Nevertheless, he progressed to NCFCA nationals three years in a row in Team Policy. Two years ago Ty became a dual league competitor, progressing to the Stoa National Championship, NITOC, where he and his partner, Brent Pinero placed third and Ty took 1st place speaker. He has coached advanced track Team Policy at Speak Out North Texas in 2010 and 2011. In the 2011 competitive season, Ty transitioned to Lincoln Douglas debate where he won the Texas State Championship, and progressed to NITOC. He also began Parliamentary debate this year, where he and his partner took second at the Parliamentary Invitational Tournament of Champions. He is also the Stoa Extemporaneous Champion for 2011.

Jon Chi Lou broke in Lincoln-Douglas at his first tournament as a freshman, and the following year, won the San Diego Classic to qualify to NCFCA nationals. In his third year, he began debating for Palomar College, winning gold in junior parliamentary debate at the PSCFA Spring Championships and later named the Palomar College Debater of the Year. He currently studies at UCLA and oversees Dominate LD, a leading Lincoln-Douglas sourcebook for Stoa and NCFCA.

A graduate of Patrick Henry College (Class of 2008), Nathanael was an All-American debater and captain of the educational debate team. He now manages online political efforts for Heritage Action for America. He was formerly the Business Developer at Yellis & Foley CPAs, an accounting firm serving small and medium businesses in Southern Maine and Seacoast New Hampshire. A Maine native, Yellis is also a graduate of Acton School of Business.

An accomplished debater in high school and college, Amy met her husband, Isaiah McPeak in an NCFCA debate round in 2001. Alongside Isaiah, Amy has coached hundreds of debaters and speakers across the country, and at their local club, Vector, in Northern Virginia which has taken home several national champion titles. Amy is currently a part-time student finishing her degree in Christian Education and a full-time mom to their three year old daughter, Evelyn.

Drew has participated in high school debate for four seasons receiving multiple first seedings, first places, and first speaker awards in both team policy and parliamentary debate styles. He’s passionate about learning and helping others learn.

Chloe Snyder was born in Germany and spent many formative years growing up in Australia. Upon returning to the U.S., she became involved in speech and debate. In debate, she was a State Champion, twice a Regional Champion, award-winner at three National Championships, and won top speaker awards throughout. Chloe also took first place in many speech events, including persuasive, impromptu, extemporaneous, and duo interpretation. In 2008-09, she was on staff for Patrick Henry College’s debate camps. In 2009, she interned for a U.S. Delegate, working on his successful reelection. In 2010, Chloe was on staff for TeenPact, a government class for high school students. Chloe loves to be abroad, having volunteered in Romania, India, and Honduras. She was also a coach for the 2012 Ethos Speech & Debate and International Relations camps in Singapore. Even more than being abroad, though, she loves being married to her husband, Tom.

Patrick Shipsey is a homeschool debate alumnus who likes to bring his own spice to Ethos products, projects, and camps. Patrick started debating in 2008, started writing for Ethos in 2009, won NCFCA nationals with Josiah McPeak in 2010, and in 2011 matriculated to Rice University in Houston, Texas, where he now studies Political Science and Linguistics with a minor in Poverty, Justice, & Human Capabilities. Patrick brings to the Ethos team his knowledge in and passion for these subjects, in addition to a penchant for business, humor, history, the humanities, and an abiding love of debate in every aspect from research and delivery to strategy and theory.

Clare is one of those crazy people who talked her mother into letting her debate, and has never regretted that argumentation, though it is clear that her mother sometimes regrets the improvement of Clare’s debate skills. Currently debating in both NCFCA and Stoa, organizing a club, and going to tournaments as often as possible, many people (including her online teachers) think that Clare spends way too much time on debate. Clare started debating in 2011, and qualified to NCFCA nationals, placing 2nd at regionals, in the spring of 2012. As a sophomore, Clare is looking forward to building relationships with all of you nerdy debate people over the continuation of her high school career.

Elijah Schow has been debating in the NCFCA for many moons, though he has only recently enjoyed “success” as NCFCA people define the word. Outside of debate, he immensely enjoys computer programming, graphic design, art, music and reading. For some reason, his analytical brain can’t figure out whether it wants to make Elijah a math/science person or an art/music person. Consequently, it has settled for an odd mix of both.

Lydia debated in NCFCA for six years, where she received four consecutive national placings, including 6th place policy team in 2009. In addition Lydia has competed in extemporaneous, parliamentary debate, and mock trial, where she received the Outstanding Attorney award at the 2012 Virginia Mock Trial tournament. As an instructor, Lydia has taught multiple debate camps, mentored students, coached the Region IX SND debate club, and overseen Ethos policy sourcebooks for the last two years. Starting in Fall 2012, Lydia will be pursuing a degree in Strategic Intelligence from Patrick Henry College.

Thaddeus hails from the best area in the world, also known as Southern California. Debate recently decided to turn Thaddeus’s world upside down and litter it with slight success – not that he minds. He wishes to debate in college, and attend law school. His favorite pastimes include, watching old movies, especially those starring Humphrey Bogart. He also loves to avidly draw, swing dance with his sisters, of which he is quite above average, and strive to treat all he meets with class and courtesy. He also loves to air-soft, and of course, debate, debate, and debate. His second goal is to re-institute the days when men wore suites every day, and helped little old ladies across the street. He loves chinese food, and has three adopted black siblings whom he loves extraordinarily much, and who also qualify him as half black – allowing him to get picked up by all the good teams for pick-up basketball. Last but definitely not least, he enjoys watching select episodes of Doctor Who, and just simply hanging out and talking with any other like minded teens.

Andrew debated in NCFCA for three years, and is currently pursuing a degree in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He broke at nationals in team policy or LD all three years, making quarters in 2010. He was also first seed at nationals (during his novice year); third place speaker at nationals; first place team at the Massachusetts National Open, one regional championship, and four regional qualifiers; and first place speaker at four regional qualifiers. He’s written for Ethos for three years, and coached for one. He now debates for the Princeton Debate Panel in the American Parliamentary Debate Association. During his entire career, he only had one losing record in competition.

When she’s not debating, you can find Blaire Bayliss pretending to be debating. Blaire has competed in speech and debate for five years, during which she received first place at eleven debate tournaments and took second place at the NCFCA National Championship. Outside of debate, she enjoys singing loudly in her kitchen and pretending that no one can hear, collecting stickers and eating enough chocolate to kill a moose. Above all else, she seeks to speak for those who have no voice, and to use her love of public speaking for the glory of God.

Kara Stivers competed in NCFCA Team Policy debate for 3 years and had relative success throughout her forensics career. She received several 1st place speaker awards, 1st place Policy Debate Team at her region’s largest qualifier in 2011, 2nd and 3rd place at the National Opens she attended, 6th place at NCFCA Nationals 2011, and 1st Place at NCFCA Nationals 2012 with her partner, Rebecca Frazer. A freshman at the University of Louisville, Kara enjoys making amateur attempts at critiquing both books and movies, riding every roller coaster and thrill ride that comes her way, trying to follow current events, and supporting her team, the Louisville Cardinals, in whatever sport is in season. Above all, she loves spending time with her friends, family, and Savior, who she believes has called her to live life to the fullest and glorify Him in every way she possibly can.

Brenna Marie Bakke: Ardent God-follower, INFJ, fifth year forensics-er, French-speaking IrishSwedishCalifornia Girl, teacher, learner, hopeless optimist, coffee fanatic, lover of good books, dreamer, mildly obsessed with France, shamelessly obsessed with teenage dramas, unpaid therapist, blessed with the most incredible family and friends in the world, hopeful future Princeton-attendee-valedictorian-psychologist-mental-illness-curer-criminal-justice-PhD-New-England-resident-FBI-Special-Agent-world-changer.

Stay awesome. <3

Rebecca Frazer is seventeen years old and hails from the great state of Indiana. Rebecca has been competing in NCFCA speech and debate for five years, qualifying to nationals in both Team Policy and Lincoln Douglas debate. She has ironmanned at nationals twice, competing in six national speech finals. In 2012, she and her partner, Kara Stivers, won the Team Policy national championships (with a 10-0 record), becoming the first girl/girl team to win policy nationals since 1997. Now that her debate competitive career is over, she is excited about applying for college, going fishing with her dad, and advocating the pro-life cause.

Bailey Eldridge is a home schooled debater residing in Texas. She has competed in Team Policy, Lincoln Douglas, Parliamentary Debate, Extemp, Model UN, Model NATO, and Moot Court. A consistent outround contender, she made her finals debut at only 13.

Jonathan is a third year debater. From researching the resolution to delivering speeches in a debate round, he has enjoyed every minute of his debate career. Competing in the NCFCA, Jonathan has won numerous speech and debate awards. Aside from the competition, Jonathan is an avid reader and researcher. Many nights you will find him, on his computer, reading a law journal or government report. In addition to debate, Jonathan enjoys running, playing basketball, studying history, and traveling.

Josh Ridenour competed in the NCFCA for six years, serving in a variety of positions during his career, from Student Coach to Research Leader, to Debate Instructor at Ethos over the summer of 2011. During his high school debate years, Josh qualified to multiple regional tournaments and took several speaking and team policy awards. In the 2010-2011 debate season, he qualified to his first National Tournament in Team Policy and Humorous Interpretation, placing 10th in the latter.

Over five years of competition, Peter Voell achieved regional and national recognition in Team Policy and Parliamentary debate. He is the former perennial leader of the Homeschooldebate.com Research Club, a nationwide group of debaters who interact in a virtual environment to better research skills, discuss round strategy and foster deeper understanding of resolutional topics. While in high school, Peter assisted in evidence management for Vector, his local debate club (coached by Isaiah McPeak). He also served as Vector’s Extemporaneous Coach, and holds regional and national titles in Extemporaneous, Apologetics and Impromptu speaking.

Isaac Kim hails from the Northern New Jersey area, serving as policy debate captain in his debate club for the past two years. He has qualified three times to both the STOA and NCFCA National Championships, in addition to winning the largest policy debate qualifier in his region’s history. In 2012, Isaac and his partner were the policy debate champions at all three regional tournaments they attended (including the Regional Championship). In addition to debate, Isaac pursues a number of other interests. In particular, Isaac also actively pursues music, in which he is a member of an acapella group, a local band, and a nationally-acclaimed competitive chorale. His achievements in the music field includes acceptance to New Jersey’s all-state choir as well as performing as a soloist at numerous music festivals. In the fall, Isaac hopes to work full time in New York City, where he currently serves as an intern for an advertising firm.

While in many ways the antithesis of his older bother/former partner in debating style, competitive success (haha), and other things (with the notable exception of a strict, common openness policy), Zack has enjoyed every single qualifying, championship, and open tournament since his debate experience began in 2008 (India Resolution). Equal to his love of research and strategy sessions is his desire to use as much applicable (and…non-offensive) humor into each debate as his exhausted brain will allow.