Who is Thaddeus?
Who is Thaddeus?
Thaddeus was recruited by the original owner and debate guru, Isaiah McPeak in 2011/12. In 2017, he took over as head coach until he handed Ethos off to Jadon Buzzard in 2020. Thaddeus is the resident jack-of-all-trades at Ethos and has been with the company for over 8 years now. Over the years he has learned under Ethos founder Isaiah, managed a sourcebook, and taught multiple camps. He has a soft spot for novice team policy debaters and has coached debate for the past 5 years. Thaddeus has coached or competed in:
- Team Policy (Stoa, NCFCA, NFL/NSDA)
- Lincoln Douglas (Stoa, NCFCA, NSDA)
- American Parliamentary (NPDA, IPDA, APDA)
- Moot Court (AMCA)
- British Parliamentary (WUDC, USU)
- Mock Trial (AMTA)
- Model UN (NMUN, MAL)
- Karl Popper Debate
- Public Forum (NSDA)
- Worlds Schools Debate (NSDA)
Philosophy:
The purpose of Ethos is preparation for success in life. Communication, when done correctly, makes us better individuals. Speech and Debate is a mechanism or a vehicle that teaches us techniques and tactics to use in order to make our voice more persuasive and attractive. We teach our students to speak TRUTH in its most persuasive form. We teach students how to win debate rounds, by teaching them how to avoid miscommunication and practice habits that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.”
My purpose as an Ethos coach has always been to provide debaters with practical real-world debate knowledge (the kind of knowledge that they can implement in the very next debate round). I like to speak in specifics, not generalities. This includes humor, non-verbal, and simple negative strategies. I try to teach people how to break down big themes and technical subjects into engaging ideas. Persuasive speaking is my forte, as well as learning how to be a funny, engaging, yet powerful speaker. I live for the lightbulb moments when young debaters really start to grasp what they’re learning.”
Accomplishments:
- 2012/13 Stoa National Champion, Persuasive Speaking
- 2012/13 #5 Speaks at NITOC, Team Policy
- 2012/13 Finalist at NITOC, Mars Hill Impromptu
- 2013/14 WUDC finalist in BP at HWS, and TKC Empire Debate
- 2014/15 NPDA American Enterprise Debate Champion (alongside Jacob Vaness)
- 2013-2016 Ranked as top 10% international debate team in WUDC, USU, 3 years in a row.
- 2015 National Model United Nations Outstanding Delegation Award (alongside Andrew Shepard)
- 2015 National Model Arab League Outstanding Delegation Award (alongside Jared Midwood)
- 2014-2016 Patrick Henry College Debate Leadership.
- 2014-2016 Vector Debate Coach. Coached the #1 teams in VA for 3 years.
- 2019-2020 Associate Coach, Sage Hill, Worlds Schools National Debate Champion Team(NSDA)