THE GREAT DEBATE
A GREAT LEGACY
For over 30 years, students from across the city of Brownsville have participated in NHI's Great Debate program, and the consensus is clear:
"I am having difficulty even finding the right words to convey just how grateful and impressed my husband and I are at the level of passion, commitment, and excellence put forth by all. I saw my daughter grow in confidence, research skills, preparation, public-speaking, use of technology, and managing competitive stress. I saw coaches selflessly dedicate so much time and effort to see that each kid was prepared to perform to the best of their abilities"
– Parent of Great Debate Participant
THE PROGRAM
The Great Debate is much more than a debate program — it's an opportunity for students to hone the power of their ideas and their voice.
For more information about purpose and benefits of the program, please visit the official page of the Four-Day Great Debates.
THE NITTY-GRITTY
The program takes place over the course of about four months in two phases: the Preparation Phase and the Competition Phase.
The Preparation Phase (late February to early June) takes place entirely in the city of Brownsville. It starts with our Induction Ceremony and is followed by weekly meetings. At these meetings, students refine their public-speaking and analytical-thinking skills by training to compete in one of four types of debate: Mock Trial, Cross Examination, Oratory, or Extemporaneous Speaking.
(Almost all meetings take place on Sundays from 3-6 PM. The exceptions are our Intraregional Tournament, which takes place on a Saturday, and the meetings that would otherwise take place on Mother's Day and Easter, which are scheduled for the Saturday of the same weekend, from 9 AM - 12 PM.)
About halfway through the Preparation Phase, participants are divided into two teams. One team competes at the Texas Great Debate (June 5-8, 2025) and the other at the Ambassador Great Debate (dates TBA). Although the two programs take place at separate times and locations, they are otherwise identical (same duration, structure/format of competition, and curriculum). The reason we must divide the team into two is logistical: NHI headquarters limits the number of students we can take to each program. Having two teams enables us to decide where — not whether — a student can participate in the program.
In the Competition Phase (early June), participants board a private charter bus and travel to the Texas Great Debate (at Austin College in Sherman, TX) or the Ambassador Great Debate (location TBA), depending on which team they were assigned to. At their respective programs, students compete against other freshmen from across the state of Texas — including Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, and Corpus Christi.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
In order to participate, students must first must submit an application to participate in the Texas Great Debate with NHI at Tip of Texas (an option may appear to participate with "RGV" — that's not us!). Please note that NHI requires participants to have a GPA of 3.0 or higher to be admitted into the program. Applications are evaluated by NHI on a rolling basis. There is no formal deadline; we will continue to accept students until our program reaches capacity. Once accepted, around February, families will be contacted with an invitation to our Induction Ceremony.
COST & SCHOLARSHIPS
Application Fee $25 USD
Deposit $150 USD
Tuition $695 USD
Local Fee $200 USD
TOTAL = $1,070 USD
Included in the cost above:
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Private transportation from Brownsville to the tournament and back
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Approximately 50+ hours of local programming (≈ March-June) and all curricular materials (binders, legal pads, rulebooks, etc.)
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Four consecutive days of intensive programming on a university campus
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All meals and housing while at the campus
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A team (NHI at Tip of Texas) shirt, a category (Mock Trial, Cross Examination, Oratory, or Extemporaneous Speaking) shirt, and a program (Texas Great Debate or Ambassador Great Debate) shirt
NHI at Tip of Texas is committed to minimizing the financial burden that participating in our programs imposes on families. To this end, we offer the prestigious Garcia Scholarship. Please visit the page linked to learn more about the scholarship.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our team at tipoftexas@nhimail.com.