TIP OF TEXAS

REQUIREMENTS

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To qualify to coach, coach applicants (referred to here as "applicants") are required to recruit freshmen students from the city of Brownsville and fundraise from local businesses and/or organizations.

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Sophomore Applicants  –  2 Recruits* and $250 USD

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Junior Applicants  –  1 Recruit* and $200 USD

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Senior Applicants  –  $150 USD

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(*) = Please see the Recruitment section below for who counts as a "recruit."

 

All those selected to serve as the Head Coach/Co-Head Coach of the region and the Head Coaches/Co-Head Coaches of the four categories are exempt from the recruitment requirement.

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Applicants are also required to attend all Coaches Training sessions, which are expected to take place in early 2026. The times and dates for these sessions will be announced at a later time. 

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DEADLINES

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Applicants who fail to meet any of the deadlines listed below will be removed from the applicant pool and indefinitely ineligible to coach for that season. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis in light of extenuating circumstances.

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January 25, 2026

–  All sophomore and junior applicants must have at least one recruit.

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February 22, 2026 (Extended to February 26, 2026)

–  All sophomore applicants must have at least two recruits.

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March 29, 2026

–  All fundraising is due (more information about how the funds will be collected will be communicated at a later date). Please note that checks are strongly preferred and should be made out to "The National Hispanic Institute."​​​​​

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RECRUITMENT & ENFORCEMENT​

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To be counted toward a deadline, a freshmen student must have (1) submitted an application to participate in the Texas/Ambassador Great Debate with NHI at Tip of Texas and (2) paid the application fee ($25) and deposit ($150). A student will not be considered a "recruit" for the purposes of our deadlines unless both of these prerequisites are met.

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In order to avoid delays, please make sure that your recruits apply to "Tip of Texas," not "RGV." 

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You are encouraged to "declare" your recruits. Freshman have the option of listing their "recruiter" when they submit an application. If a freshman lists you as their recruiter, we are able to easily identify them as one of your recruits. However, freshmen often leave this section blank. To ensure that your recruits are accounted for, we strongly encourage you to (1) remind your recruits to list you as their recruiter, and, in case they forget, (2) to declare your recruits using the Recruit Identification Form ("RIF").

 

Please note that if you declare a recruit but they do not meet the two requirements listed above, that person will not be counted toward any deadline/requirement.

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In order to determine whether an applicant has met a recruitment deadline, members of our team will follow the procedure outlined below.

• First, we will look at the roster that NHI headquarters has shared with us. This roster lists every freshman that has applied to participate in the 2025 Great Debate program with NHI at Tip of Texas. It also displays who, if anyone, these freshman have identified as their "recruiter." 

  • If a freshman on that roster lists you as their recruiter, we will then check whether that freshman has paid the application fee and the deposit. If they have, then that freshman will be counted as one of your recruits.

  • If the applicant is not listed as any freshman's recruiter, we will look at the submissions to the RIF. ​If you declared a recruit, we will then check to see whether that freshman's name appears on the roster. If it does, we will then see whether they have paid the application fee and the deposit. If they have, then that freshmen will be counted as one of your recruits.

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Please note that, when enforcing a deadline, our team will not give any weight to promises that a freshman or their family allegedly made the applicant. In other words, if an applicant fails to meet a deadline, and their excuse is"my recruit told me they would do it," that excuse alone will not mitigate the consequences of missing the deadline. Applicants are therefore strongly discouraged from relying on their prospective recruits' promises, and are encouraged to double-check with our team that their recruits have registered well in advance of a deadline.

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FUNDRAISING​

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Fundraising represents an investment both on the part of each applicant –– as they are the ones who procure these funds –– and on the part of the community at large, as it is local businesses and organizations that provide the funds. All amounts fundraised are used to cover local expenses such as transportation, training materials, facility fees, event costs, and financial assistance. Applicants are prohibited from using personal and/or family funds in order to fulfill this requirement. Accordingly, if an applicant is removed from the coaching staff, the money that they fundraised will not be returned to them.

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Applicants who are able to secure an investment of $1,500 USD or more from a local business/organization will be exempt from all recruitment and fundraising requirements for the rest of their high school years (including that year). Please reach out to Jorge Lee if you intend to pursue this exemption.

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Please note that, because they are subject to the same standards and disciplinary protocols, applicants who obtain this exemption may be removed from the coaching staff to the same extent that any other member would be.

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ATTENDANCE POLICY

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At every event/meeting that coaches are asked to attend, each coach will be assigned one of five statuses: Absent A (unexcused absence), Absent B (excused absence), Late A (arrived more than 10 minutes after the scheduled start time), Late B (arrived between five and ten minutes after the scheduled start time), and Present. ​​

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Attendance will be monitored using a points system. Each coach will begin the season with 15 points. An unexcused absence (Absent A) results in a five-point deduction, an excused absence (Absent B) results in a three-point deduction, a Late A arrival results in a two-point deduction, and a Late B arrival results in a one-point deduction. All absences that are not reported through the Notification of Absence Form ("NOAF") at least three hours before the scheduled start time of the event/meeting will be unexcused. However, reporting an absence through the NOAF does not guarantee that that absence will be excused.

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The Project Administrator(s), Co-Project Administrator(s), or Assistant Project Administrator(s) may also issue point deductions based on a coach's conduct.

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A coach can have an absence be "excused" in two ways.

1. All coaches are automatically provided one Guaranteed Excused Absence (GEA). As long as the absence is reported via the Notification of Absence form, and the coach indicates that they will be using their one GEA, that absence will be excused. 

2. If a coach has already used their GEA, or chooses to save it for another date, they must provide an explanation of the circumstances surrounded the absence in the same Notification of Absence form. Please note that our team may request corroborating documents/information, and may consider the absence of such documentation in reaching our decision.

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A coach may be removed from the coaching roster for the remainder of the season if either (1) their point-total becomes less than or equal to zero or (2) they are repeatedly very late to meetings/events. These individuals may contribute to the team during the final practice week, but will not be welcome at our regular weekly meetings.

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HEAD OF CATEGORY APPLICANTS​

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In order to evaluate their understanding of the learning objectives of the Great Debate and the pedagogy of NHI, applicants are asked to create the curriculum for the first three three-hour meetings of their category. Each activity/exercise in the agenda should serve a function that is connected to the holistic objective(s) of that meeting — applicants should clearly state these objectives as part of the their agendas. Applicants should also include a succinct explanation of each activity/exercise and indicate the duration of each. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult the principles of IDL and the framework for evaluating curricula.

 

Agendas must be submitted to tipoftexas@nhimail.com by January 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM in order to be considered. Please submit materials as a single PDF. If applicants wish to apply as Co-Heads, they may submit a single agenda — these applicants are asked to clearly indicate that the agenda is a joint submission.​ If an applicant sends multiple emails, the contents of the most recent one will be considered. 

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If you have any questions about the information listed above,

please direct them to tipoftexas@nhimail.com. ​