Who is Summit Debate?

Summit Debate was founded in 1995 by Jenny Cook, Executive Director. The name Summit Debate was influenced by a historic road, Summit Avenue, known for showcasing some of the grandest homes in the Twin Cities area. Summit Avenue was just a short walk from where Cook lived, and in her mind, the name Summit captured the image of “making it to the top”; thus the motto “Reach for the Summit”.

The first institute opened in the summer of 1997 with the National Debate Forum (NDF) in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. By 2003, we added what would become our signature event -- Public Forum Debate. We added interpretation events in 2004, followed by Original Oratory and Platform Speaking in 2007. Rebranding as the National Speech Forum (NSF) in 2019, these events have solidified themselves as a core part of one of the largest speech & debate institutes in the country.

With more than two decades of experience running summer institutes, we have become the one of the largest providers for summer speech and debate enrichment. Since 2020, our sessions have expanded to include an online learning option, allowing for greater access and flexibility for those who wish to join virtually.

Jenny Cook - Executive Director

with so many options out there, What sets us apart?

SUMMIT DEBATE IS COMMITTED TO PUTTING SKILL DEVELOPMENT FIRST

As a collection of award winning educators and speech & debate coaches, we know we learn best from each other. That’s why, even as experts in the field, we are constantly innovating and developing new ways to reach our students. Each member of the leadership team at Summit Debate is an experienced leader, both within the world of speech and debate and in their educational communities. Below are some of the outstanding leaders that make each program possible.

Jenny Cook, Executive Director

Jenny Cook, Summit Debate Founder and Executive Director with over 32 years of experience in coaching students of all ages in speech and debate. In addition to running Summit Debate Summer Camps for 27 years, she is the currently the head speech coach at Saratoga HS in California and works with clients from all over the country. She has an excellent reputation for creating and developing effective communication strategies persuading all types of audiences, including authoring speeches, press releases and marketing materials for educational, political and business clients. She is the 2002 Massachusetts State Speech and Debate Coach of the Year, 2008 Florida State Speech and Debate Coach of the Year, 2020 National Debate and Speech Association Hall of Fame Inductee, and between 1991-2023 has coached Five National Champions in Speech and Debate, 16 National Finalists and numerous Semi-Finalists in all events at the NSDA and NCFL National High School Speech and Debate Tournaments.

Toni Heimes, Director of Community Engagement

Toni Heimes is the director of debate at Lincoln Southwest High School in Lincoln Nebraska.  A 30 year veteran of the classroom, Toni is endorsed in 7-12 English, theatre, and speech.  Toni is a four diamond coach in the National Speech and Debate Association and has served as an NSDA district chair for several terms.  This will be Toni’s 11th summer at Summit Debate.  

At camp, Toni’s role focuses around creating opportunities for labs to engage in team building and creating community bonding opportunities.

Renea Moss, Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity

Renea Moss, a veteran debate and speech coach and high school teacher has worked with Summit Debate as a Senior Lab Instructor in Interpretation Events is our Diversity, Inclusion & Equity Director. Renea works with our staff to optimize teamwork and conversations within our community. With the support of our larger faculty, she organizes panel discussions and seminars within every session.

As an administrator, she focuses on ensuring a quality education for all students by collaborating with teachers on engagement, classroom management, and teaching strategies.

Ashley Murphy, Director of Operations

Ashley Murphy is a Reading Specialist and debate coach from Pennsylvania.  Ashley is passionate about helping students to advocate and creating more accessible communities. Ashley has developed professional development course content and presented on strategies that educators can use to incorporate perspective taking and evidence-based argumentation into traditional classroom settings. 

Within Speech and Debate, Ashley has received a Diamond Award and two Distinguished Service Awards from the National Speech and Debate Association. Ashley has taught public speaking and debate classes in an international setting. She has served a member of the Public Forum Wording Committee as well as a board member of the Philadelphia chapter of NCFL. Ashley has coached state finalists, national elimination round competitors and invitational champions in Public Forum Debate, Policy Debate, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Parliamentary Debate, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking, and more.

As Director of Operations, Ashley helps to manage the online platform, scheduling system, learning management system and some of the day to day operations during the in person camp sessions.

Steve Schappaugh, Director of Staff and Student Development

Steven Schappaugh is the Principal of Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa. In his role, he focuses on ensuring a quality education for all students by collaborating with teachers on improving the student experience in classrooms. Steve supports teachers by observing their classes, having coaching conversations about instructional strategies, and analyzing data with them. Steve has had several positions in educational leadership; previously the Associate Principal at North High School, Associate Dean at Des Moines East High School, and Dean of Students at University School of Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.

His role prioritizes making our staff find their own personal best. No matter how long you have been debating or coaching debate, every summer produces new perspectives and new innovative ways to teach speech and debate. By prioritizing staff development, we prioritize the education that your students receive is not just the best in the country, but is continually getting better with every session. Our Junior Instructors regularly comment that the focus the National Debate Forum places on them in developing as educators are one of the many reasons the camp is so successful.

SUMMIT DEBATE IS COMMITTED TO BEING A TRAINING GROUND FOR STUDENTS

Speech & Debate provides students with portable skills that allow them to transform their lives in countless ways. In both our competitive sessions and our Leadership Institute, Summit Debate is committed to finding the educational moments that help students be prepared, both in their rounds and in life outside of competition.

At its core, Summit Debate’s goal is to provide all students an opportunity to take their craft to the next level. In a society that is suspect to various levels of inequality, Summit Debate has a dedicated administrator to promote Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in all aspects of our company. In addition, our goal across all sessions is to help create curriculum that mirrors the best our society has to offer.

We understand that summer camp is a huge investment for families. That’s why, at Summit Debate, our curriculum is constantly evolving in order to keep up with best practices within both the field of education and with competitive norms. Students who attend camp are given a plethora of resources that they can take back to their teams and communities. Because our instructional practices focus around fundamental skill growth, students leave camp equipped with the tools they need to communicate and research more effectively throughout their school year.

In addition to our Summer Institutes, we pride ourselves on offering workshops and professional development throughout the year. Each program that is offered is crafted with one goal in mind: ensuring that participants are given an experience that is both unique and enriching.

Meet our curriculum Directors