TFA NEWS
The IQT Application for 2018-19 Tournaments is now available. Click here to fill out the Google Form. Please make sure to send payments this year to Noah Recker. Applications are due May 1, 2018.
Two new hotels have been added to the State Tournament Hotel block (Holiday Inn Express in Floresville, and Fairfield Inn in New Braunfels). See the State Tournament page for details.
The Spring 2018 Legislation has been selected. Download a copy from the Congress Resources page.
Scholarship applications are now being accepted. Five scholarships will be awarded at the state tournament in March. Deadline for submissions is February 1, 2018. More details available on the Scholarship page.
The 14 day deadline for amendments is Sept 21. These need to be emailed to Victoria Beard at victoria.beard@springbranchisd.com.
Items which have already been submitted are now available on the TFA Business Meeting page.
The TSCA Convention has been moved from Houston due to Hurricane Harvey damage at the Omni Hotel Westside. Convention will now be held at the Omni San Antonio at the Colonnade (last year's convention hotel).
Click here to view email message from Noah Recker.
The results of the summer constitutional amendment voting are in. Quorum for the voting was 144. 153 online ballots were cast, so quorum was met.
Amendment #1 - Add POI as a qualifying event. PASSES 98-47-8. Starting in the 2017-18 season, POI will be a qualfiying event at state.
Amendment #2 - Change time limit in Duet to ten minutes. PASSES 107-35-11. Starting in the 2017-18 season, Duet Acting will now have a 10 minute time limit just like the other qualifying interpretation events.
Amendment #3 - Disallow internet access in extemp. PASSES 81-64-8. Starting in August, internet access is not allowed in extemp.
The Fall Congress Legislation packet has been reposted to include previously missing item #10.
Welcome to the new TFA website. Take a look around and let us know what you think. This is still a work in progress, but if you find something missing or needing correction, please email the webmaster with your suggestions.
OUR MISSION
The purpose of the Texas Forensic Association is to bring about more effective cooperation among the members of the speech and theatre arts profession in the discharge of their special responsibilities in forensic and theatre activities;
to create a means of educating the general and professional publics to the important educational functions of forensics and theatre arts;
to make collective action possible on problems of common professional interest;
and, in general, to maintain and advance the ideals and standards of the speech and theatre arts profession.
The Texas Forensic Association shall promote the interests of interscholastic speech and theatre by encouraging a spirit of fellowship among participating students and teachers.
Activities viewed as central to the organization's function include debate, theatre, and competitive individual speaking events.
The membership of the organization has grown steadily each year with more than 420 professional members in the 1997-1998 Silver anniversary year.
The Association continues to set high standards and strive to meet new goals for the benefit of Texas Teachers and students. The model of the Texas Forensic Association has been recommended for other states where similar needs are felt.
OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
Seth Pietsek
Abilene High School
Cell: 325-660-2625
email: seth.pietsek@abileneisd.org
VICE PRESIDENT
John Mast
S. F. Austin High School
cell: 512-585-3688
email: sfadebate@gmail.com
SECRETARY
Victoria Beard
Spring Woods High School
cell: 713-251-3100
email: victoria.beard@springbranchisd.com.
TREASURER
Noah Recker
La Vernia High School
Cell: 210-240-1757
email: noah.recker@lvisd.org
REGION 1 REP
Ryan Lovell
Tascosa High School
cell: 806-640-8988
email: ryan.lovell@amaisd.org
REGION 2 REP
Rhonda Smith
Plano West Senior High School
cell: 214-621-4879
email: rhonda.smith@pisd.edu
REGION 3 REP
Michelle Watkins
Claudia Taylor "Ladybird" Johnson High School
cell: 210-887-4832
email: mwatki@neisd.net
REGION 4 REP
Debbie Waddell
Independent
cell: 832-922-1105
email: debbiewaddell022@gmail.com
REGION 5 REP
Yolanda Silva
Franklin High School
email: yosilva72@gmail.com
ARCHIVIST
Kirsten Nash
Hendrickson High School
cell: 512-773-9790
email: kirsten.nash@pfisd.net
IQT COORDINATOR
Grant Hahn
cell: 817-319-9886
email: iqtreport@gmail.com
SUPERINTENDENT of SCHOOLS
Kenneth Rohrbach
Medina Valley ISD
COMMITTEES
SCHOLARSHIP
Rhonda Smith, EC Advisor
Region 1: Heather Wallace-Weinette
Region 2: J. P. Fugler
Region 3: Eric Pinon
Region 4: Dustin Kay
Region 5: Jennifer Adams
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Wendi Brandenburg, EC Advisor
Region 1: Melissa Witt
Region 2: Rory McKenzie
Region 3: Frank Rivera
Region 4: Regina Wells
Region 5: Martin Mota
PROFESSIONAL RELATIONS
Gay Hollis, EC Advisor
Region 1: Sami Womack
Region 2: Robert Shepard
Region 3: Brian Eanes (Chair)
Region 4: Courtney Coffman
Region 5: Israel Boswell.
DEBATE TOPIC SELECTION
John Mast, EC Advisor
Region 1: Jonathan Robertson
Region 2: Dan Lingel
Region 3: Bryan Winn
Region 4: Chris Stowe
Region 5: Christy Luna
HALL OF FAME MEMBERSHIP
Debbie Waddell, EC Advisor
Region 1: Ann Shofner
Region 2: David Huston
Region 3: Kandi King (Chair)
Region 4: Eloise Blair
Region 5: Billye Lucas.
CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE
Ryan Lovell, EC Advisor
Region 1: Nathaniel Council
Region 2: Cheryl Potts (Chair)
Region 3: Brian Alford
Region 4: Angie Richard
Region 5: Tim Haynes.
FINANCE
Region 1: Louis Pachecho
Region 2:
Region 3: David Gardiner
Region 4:
Region 5: Greg McGee
CONSTITUTION
Region 1: Mellessa Denny
Region 2: Eric Mears
Region 3: Joe Uhler
Region 4: Ryan Hennessey
Region 5: Kim Falco
TSCA CONVENTION
Join us for our annual business meeting at the TSCA Convention in Corpus Christi on October 4-6, 2018.
As a TSCA interest group, our main business meeting is held at the annual TSCA Convention.
TEXAS SPEECH COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
Membership in TSCA is open to any communication educator, communication student, communication consultant, or any individual interested in learning about the field of speech communication.
All levels of instruction and areas of interests are represented in the association. The rewards of membership in TSCA include updated professional awareness, networking with other professionals, and exposure to innovation, teaching methodologies, and scholarly works relevant to the discipline of speech communication.!
MEMBERSHIP
TFA is an interest group of TEXAS SPEECH COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION. To become a member of TFA, join TSCA and select TFA as one of your affiliated interest groups. The TSCA application for membership may be filled out online. As the last step of registration, you may either pay for your membership (using PayPal), or you may print out a copy of the completed membership application and send it along with appropriate payment to the TSCA Executive Secretary.
Deadline for membership is Janary 31 each year.
Schools intending to qualify for and compete at the State Tournament must join by January 31.
Schools hosting an IQT must either hold an institutional membership or have at least one educator who is an individual TSCA/TFA member.