Send the
Gate City Debaters to
NSDA Nationals

Your donation can be credited to an individual, a specific squad, or distributed between the three teams 

(Poky, Century, Highland).

We represent Speech and Debate Students from Century, Highland and Pocatello High School. We are seeking donations from sponsors to help send us to the National Tournament in Phoenix Arizona this June. Idaho has two NSDA Regions (East and West). Our National Speech and Debate Association region includes 18 schools from Twin Falls to Teton. This year, our school district was exceptionally successful and more than ⅓ of the Nationals Qualifiers from Eastern Idaho are from our three schools. We are excited to go compete at the National Level where they are expecting 1,500 schools and more than 6,000 competitors. 

According to a 2011 Impact Study, Speech and Debate participation increases analytical skills by 87%, reading scores by 36% and self esteem by 15%. We know from our own experience that speech and debate increases student involvement in the community and political processes, encourages participation in civics, and creates articulate and thoughtful members of society. Students who attend NSDA Nationals value the opportunity for networking and work to make lifelong connections with equally motivated individuals from across the country. 

When it comes to Nationals, money is our biggest issue.

We are sending 40 people from the Pocatello area to NSDA Nationals (11 Adults and 29 students). Our current estimate is just under $2,000 per person. While students and advisors have been working hard to raise money through Community Chore Days and other traditional fundraisers, $80,000 is a tall order. We are now seeking donations or sponsors (we think taxwise those are different). We have planned to make matching shirts (1 school, 1 city) for everyone. We will put sponsor names/logos on the backs of the T-shirts and publish them on our social media pages. We have to have all of our funds accounted for by June 4. 

We were excited to learn that both federal and state consider charitable donations to schools as separate from other charitable donations. Check with your tax professional, but it is our understanding that individuals can claim deductions for education donations up to $500, couples up to $1,000 and businesses up to $5,000 in addition to their regular charitable contributions.