Varsity Parent Meeting
08/25/2025
Our Team
Grant Thomas
Nawledge Brewington
Lydia Bohac
Erin Mansur
Head Coach
Co-Teacher & Coach
Logistics Coordinator
& Team Notary
Assistant Coach
& DPS Teacher
Agenda
Season Schedule
Communication Systems
Varsity Student Expectations
NEW This Season
Logistics & Paperwork
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5
September-October
Part 1
Pre-Season & Novice Season
Novice Bootcamp on Saturday (8/30)
Yale Trip in September
Novice Night on September 30th
Novice Compete in October / Varsity Judges the Novice Tournaments
November-December
Part 2
Semester 1
Six Saturday Tournaments
Two Tuesday After School Congresses
East hosts our tournament, “The Mile High” on Friday-Saturday, Nov. 14-15
Holiday party in December
Semester ends with the overnight tournament in Wyoming!
January-February
Part 3
Semester 2
Seven Saturday Tournaments
Two Tuesday After School Congresses
Harvard trip over Presidents day weekend
Team begins to focus students on the event they might take to State/Nat Quals
March-April
Part 4
Post-Season
CHSAA 5A State at Cherokee Trail
National Qualifiers for Speech, Debate, and Congress
Team Showcase
Team Banquet
Communication Systems
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Coaches and Captains discuss upcoming details. Message those out to students. Coaches update communication documents.
Students sign themselves up for tournaments. Tell their families. Tell any changes to coaches. Students check messages from captains. Check the information pages we post on Schoology.
Parents can ask their students or coaches their questions
A note on Emails
We will ask for family contact information at the end of the slide show. That information will be used for emergency contact needs and to invite you to our tournament and the Showcase.
If your child goes on an overnight trip (Yale, Wyoming, Harvard, NIETOC, Nationals) a separate form for contact information for just those students will be sent out.
We don’t currently offer a newsletter, however our website DEFTAngels.org regularly features updates.
Varsity Student Expectations
3 Competitions per semester
Support peers with in-class coaching
Support Freshman at “Event Lunches”
Support team culture in class and at tournaments.
Be the primary point of contact between the program and their families
New This Season!
→ DEFT now has an in-house notary
→ Second semester trip will be to Harvard, not Atlanta
→ Showcase will occur in March, more information to come sooner
What We Need from Families
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Judging. We ask that students have one family member judge once in the first semester and once in the second semester. (Parents, Grandparents, Sibling, Aunt/Uncle, Neighbor, etc). Training materials and workshops available!
Volunteer at the Mile High to help hosting in the judge lounge, judge, or donate food, drinks, or snacks!
Share and celebrate your students success!
Paperwork Portion
The forms are posted at
DEFTAngels.org > Family Paperwork
Activity fee: $200
Preference is check or Venmo (@DEFT_Angels) to avoid credit card fees. PayPal link is the “Donate” button on the website!