The WHSFA invites member and partner high schools to participate in our second-annual culminating state debate tournament. Ripon College (click for directions/lodging/etc.) is our host.

Philosophy

The emphasis of this contest is on the spirit of collaboration over competition, and empowerment of young people in self-directed learning. In that spirit, politeness, respect, collegiality, and authenticity of communication are paramount. Judges should evaluate what students say, rather than what they ought to have said. Ahead of the tournament, coaches should prepare students to think for themselves, rather than hovering around rounds during the tournament and telling students what arguments to run.

Fees

• Non-WHSFA schools will be assessed a $20 service charge. All schools are initially charged this fee, which will be reversed by the state office within a day or so of registration for member schools.
  
  
• We will be conducting a FREE workshop for anyone interested in participating in an Ethics Bowl workshop, to be run concurrently with the festival. Please simply register individual students, so we will know how many to expect. If you have some extra students who might be interested in exploring a new format for debate, this is a great opportunity.

Registration, Rules, and Schedules

Click on "Debate" or "Ethics Bowl" to the right to learn more about registration requirements for each division.

Pre-Order Lunch Tickets

We encourage schools to order meal tickets for students and judges ahead of time through this entry website. For judges and coaches, light refreshments, but not full lunches, will be available in the lounge (so, please consider ordering through this site). Checks may be made payable to WHSFA (in return, you will receive meal tickets), or students/judges may pay directly with cash or credit card in the Ripon College Dining Hall. Pre-ordering helps the college plan how much food to have on-hand.