<p>My school has no debate club, and I'm really interested in debate/debating! So, I wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions on how to go about starting a debate club?? I already have around 15 people that are interested in joining. Where do I go from there?</p>
<p>Hi, I am a parent of a debater...I applaud you in your effort and encourage you to see it through. My D is in debate--the team has 150+ members but just 5 years ago had only 10!. After two years they took first in state and have kept the title 3 years in a row. The team is in the top 100 debate teams in the nation, ranked by the National Forensic League. </p>
<p>So it is possible to do get a team going with the right support. First of all, I think you will need a teacher from your school to be a coach/sponsor. Sometimes the school district will pay a stipend for a teacher to take this on. Is there an English or History teacher who'd be willing to do this? Talk to someone in the administration about how to go about doing this.</p>
<p>Is there a university or college nearby with a debate team? Sometimes you can get a college student to volunteer (or collect dues to pay a bit) to coach. </p>
<p>Perhaps someone at the National Forensic League could give you some guidance--check out their website. Call another high school in your district to see if they have a team. Maybe their coach can help you move this along.</p>
<p>Good luck and stick with it.</p>
<p>I talked to my English teacher about starting the team, and she seemed very interested and willing to work with us. Hence she was on her college's debate team. </p>
<p>I will defiantly check out the National Forensic League, and ask some of my friends and different schools.</p>
<p>Thanks Again for all of the information.</p>