Debate Advisor 2026-27 - Newport High School

About the role

The position of Debate Advisor is responsible to serve as an advisor to the High School Debate Club. The Bellevue School District is committed to a diverse workforce representative of our students, one that embraces and models cultural competency as an international community.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate approval of team activities with the School Administration and its Activities Director.
• Provide championship caliber skills training in the areas of: Argumentation/Logic Rhetoric; Oration/Public Speaking; Critical Thinking; Interpretation of Literature; Current Events Analysis; Creative Writing; Theatrical Performance; Improvisation.
• Train students for competition in the 14 standard Forensics events in Washington State and NFL contests.
• Develop students' research skills and perform ad hoc research to ensure team preparation.
• Oversee the student mentoring program: Students mentor other students to achieve success.
• Conduct practices nightly to train the team for upcoming events.
• Train parents to serve in judging capacity to meet tournament entry requirements.
• Organize transportation, judging, budget, and logistics in support of a team whose membership could easily top 100 students.
• Assemble tournament rosters and submit entries on time to the league/tournament managers.
• Establish a competition schedule that provides a challenging and rewarding competitive environment while meeting budget parameters.
• Manage the accounting of team performance points through accurate record keeping and reporting to NFL National Headquarters.
• Conduct fund-raising activities as needed to support team activities.
• Serve on league and state committees as required.
• Establish working relationships with program advisors in the feeder middle schools to ensure a high quality freshman talent pool.

Qualifications

High School diploma or equivalent. Must be at least 19 years of age. Experience coaching high school speech and debate (Forensics) with at least 2 years as a head coach/director level for a high school Forensics team preferred. Demonstrated record of championship-level performances in previous coaching assignments. Coach Membership in the National Forensics League (Diamond-level coach preferred). Familiarity with debate theory, public policy strategies and classical/modern philosophy.

Skills

Physical Requirements: stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, finger dexterity, grasping, talking, hearing, seeing, and repetitive motions. Medium Work: Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.

Pay

Hourly rate $27.57/hour. Months, days and hours may vary depending upon assignment.

Schedule

Forensics season runs September to April (June if Nationals-qualified). This is a temporary hourly position with no benefits.