Membership

Annual Registration is Open Now

Membership Benefits

 


Register for Stoa Membership

Cost of Membership

Membership opens June 15, 2023

Family Registration on or before September 30th: $95.00 for families with at least one 12-18-year-old student competing at tournaments, regardless of the number of children. Early registration saves you $30.

Family Registration October 1st or later: $125.00 for families with at least one 12-18-year-old student competing at tournaments, regardless of the number of children.

Coaches Registration: $35.00 for Coaches/Parents/Alumni that do not have their own competing students.

Junior Registration: $35.00 for families with students 11 years old and younger competing at local tournaments.  This registration is necessary for tournaments whose insurance requires that all competitors be Stoa members.  This is only for families that do not have older students competing.

Dues are not refundable or transferable.

 

Eligibility

Stoa is organized to serve the privately educated, Christian homeschool community. Stoa recognizes and accepts that homeschooling families use a wide variety of homeschooling strategies and supports the parental right to direct the education of their children.

Eligibility for Stoa and the National Invitational Tournament of Champions (NITOC):

It is expected that a student registering is eligible to compete the entire season. Competitors joining Stoa shall meet the following criteria:

1. AGE
  • Competitors shall be ages 12 to 18 on October 1st of the current season.
2. STATEMENT OF FAITH

The parent member(s) must agree with the Statement of Faith.

  1. There is one God eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30, 2 Corinthians 13:14)
  2. Man is sinful and therefore separated from God, who is holy and perfect.
    (Isaiah 53:5-9, Romans 3:23, I Peter 1:15-16)
  3. Jesus Christ paid the eternal penalties for our sin through His death on the cross
    (Luke 24:46, I Peter 2:21)
  4. Jesus Christ also resurrected bodily and ascended into heaven and will return one day to fulfill His kingdom. (Matthew 28:6, Revelation 19:11)
  5. Only through Jesus Christ and the grace of His provision of salvation, may we be saved from eternal punishment, enter into God’s family and receive eternal life.
    (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23, Romans 8:11, I John 1:9)
  6. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible and authoritative Word of God and the truth for Christian faith and practice.
    (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, John 17:17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Psalm 19:7-11, John 6:67-69)
3. HOME EDUCATED

If the following statements can be affirmed with a yes, the student shall be deemed privately home educated for Stoa purposes:

1)  Parent or legal guardian(s) direct the educational choices for the student, including the use of dual credit, online/ offline courses, cooperative courses, private tutored courses, and other parent directed methods that support the student’s educational plan; and

2)  Parent is the authority to award the Stoa competitor junior high or high school credits and grades; and

3)  Under the laws of your state, if your state defines home schooling, the student is classified as legally “homeschooled”; and

4)  The student is not enrolled full-time in a public charter school or public school independent study program; and

5) Parent or legal guardian(s) are not the direct recipient of public funds (whether local, state, or federal) whose purpose is to cover the student’s education-related expenses.

Level of Education: 

Stoa student is classified as actively homeschooling as a junior high or high school student, and

1) not previously graduated,

2) nor in a full-time college-level degree program.

Position Statement

Marriage and Gender

In order to indicate our position on issues related to marriage and gender, Stoa’s Board of Directors has chosen to affirm the Nashville Statement.

Code of Conduct

Student Code of Conduct
I. Preamble
The mission of Stoa speech and debate is to train homeschool students to speak boldly and change the world for Christ. To accomplish this, we train students to uphold a biblical worldview through their conduct as well as their speech.
As a Christ-centered organization dedicated to a biblical worldview, Stoa requires each student to affirm and abide by this Code of Conduct. A student’s commitment to and ongoing compliance with this Code of Conduct, as amended from time to time, is an essential condition of his or her membership and participation in Stoa.

II. Student Character, Speech, and Conduct
At all times, in both public and private, a student must exhibit Christ-like character, following His example in word and deed. While we do not expect a student to be perfect, we do expect that he or she will strive always to be like Christ in a spirit of truth and humility. As the Apostle Paul said, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Phil. 3:12). Accordingly, each student must:
• Advance Stoa’s mission and not act or speak in a way that undermines it.
• Understand and respect, and not act or speak inconsistently with, the Stoa Statement of Faith, which is available at https://stoausa.org/events/membership-registration/.
• Understand and respect, and not act or speak inconsistently with, Stoa’s position on marriage and gender, which consists of the “Nashville Statement” available at https://cbmw.org/nashville-statement.
• Submit to the civil authorities of our country and obey its laws, consistent with the commands of a biblically-informed conscience.
• Respect others in speech and actions. This means treating everyone with respect and submitting to those in authority over a student. A student’s speech—whether in person, in written communication, or on social media—must be decent, respectful, and Christ-honoring. Speech must never be profane, indecent, deceitful, abusive, or disrespectful of the Lord’s name.
• Commit to academic integrity and ethical behavior in all areas of competitive forensics.

III. Conduct at Stoa Tournaments or Other Events
Stoa tournaments and events are an opportunity for students to compete, connect, forge friendships, and deepen their faith. In order to build an edifying community and foster a Christ-centered environment at Stoa tournaments and events, each student must:
• Refrain from any use or possession of alcohol, tobacco, vaping and e-cigarettes, marijuana, pornography, and illegal drugs.
• Refrain from any behavior that, in the opinion of Stoa, endangers the health, safety, or well-being of oneself or others.
• Compete with integrity by being truthful, honorable, and complying with the rules of the competition.
• Adhere to the dress code.

IV. Administration and Enforcement
Any student found by Stoa to be in violation of this Code of Conduct will be subject to discipline. Such discipline may include, but is not limited to: (i) formal or informal correction, (ii) conditions upon participation in Stoa tournaments and other events, (iii) conditions upon Stoa membership, (iv) probation or suspension from participation or membership, and/or (v) expulsion from participation or membership.
The interpretation, application, and enforcement of this Code of Conduct is solely within the discretion of Stoa, and no person shall be considered a third-party beneficiary or acquire any rights under this document. Stoa is committed to administering the Code of Conduct fairly and in a manner consistent with its identity and convictions as a Christian organization.
This Code of Conduct may be amended from time to time at the discretion of Stoa and its leadership. Stoa will endeavor to provide timely notice to students and parents of any material revisions.

 

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