About NCASA

The North Carolina Association for Scholastic Activities (NCASA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit school association that promotes academic excellence and success of North Carolina students through scholastic competition. We believe that scholastic activities enrich students by satisfying their psychological and social needs. We believe that interscholastic competition motivates students to reach their full potential and teaches sportsmanship and teamwork.

Organization

The North Carolina Association for Scholastic Activities (NCASA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2010. We operate under a board of directors comprised entirely of NC educators. For questions about one of our competitions, sponsorship, or if you're not sure who to contact, please contact our Executive Director at Ryan Kluk, execdirect@ncscholastic.org.

What We Do

Vision: Enriching the lives of North Carolina students through scholastic activities.

We encourage the academic excellence and success of North Carolina students and schools by:

Promoting existing scholastic activities and competitions.
Creating innovative, enriching activities and competitions.
Rewarding individuals and schools for participation and excellence.

Scholastic Cup

In addition to serving as a resource for academic activities and competitions, we have partnered with major scholastic competitions in North Carolina to present the Joe Childers Scholastic Cup and the NCASA Challenge Cup. These awards are presented to the schools with the best overall performance in scholastic competitions hosted by NCASA and our Cup Partners.

Competitions

As a component of the Scholastic Cup, NCASA presents eight scholastic activities: Art Showcase, Quiz Bowl, The Quill, Twelve, Show Choir, Forensics, A Cappella, and the NC Scholastic Dance Festival. Explore and learn more about these.

How to Join

Membership in NCASA is open to all types of North Carolina elementary, middle and high schools -- public, charter, independent, and home school. Go to our Membership Page.

More Information

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the North Carolina Association for Scholastic Activities, or if you would like more information about NCASA or the Cups we present, please contact our Executive Director at execdirect@ncscholastic.org.

Meet Our Team

Welcome to the NCASA team! Our staff is dedicated to creating enriching experiences for students through our scholastic competitions. We take pride in our team's diverse backgrounds, expertise, and passion for education, students, and scholastics. Get to know the individuals who make NCASA a vibrant and dynamic organization.

Scott Plaster brings more than 30 years of experience in education and leadership, including over a decade of service as a teacher, coach, and scholastic director.

He joins us from Atkins High School, where he guided the school to an unprecedented 10 consecutive NCASA Scholastic Cup finishes. He has coached a wide range of competitions, including Chess, CyberPatriots and Programming, The Quill, Quiz Bowl, Twelve, and several Poetry contests. He has earned multiple honors, including NCASA Coach of the Year, NCASA Scholastic Director of the Year, and NC Chess Coach of the Year. His coaching career includes numerous regional and state championships, and even national placements.

Scott’s NCASA involvement extends beyond coaching. He helped design both The Quill and the Art Showcase competitions, has served as head judge for Twelve and The Quill, and is the longest-serving NCASA board member, volunteering for the past 14 years—including many years as Vice President.

His deep commitment to students and proven record of expanding scholastic opportunities make him an outstanding choice to lead NCASA into its next chapter.