Forensics - Overview

Please note the key dates below for 2024-2025!

  • March 1 - Regional at Hope Mills MS in Cumberland County
  • March 15 - Regionals in three sites statewide. 
  • March 21 - Regional in Surry County - only open to schools in Surry County
  • April 5 - State Finals (middle school only), site TBD

Elementary Schools may participate in two events: Original Oratory and Storytelling.

2025 Middle School Topics

Public Forum Debate Topic: Resolved - The US President should serve a single, six year term.

Regional Extemporaneous Speaking Topics:

Round 1 - US Economy

Round 2 - Environmental Issues

State Extemporaneous Speaking Topics:

Round 1 - The First Amendment

Round 2 - Global Human Rights

Round 3 - Health Care

 

We have resources to help new coaches understand forensics and judges to prepare to judge the events. The Prezi required for all judges is here.

The judge training video for Public Form Debate is here.

A video to help understand Public Forum Debate is here.

All ballots are now posted in the resources section of our website. They can also be found here for Speech events and here for Public Forum Debate.

Complete rules are included in the NCASA competition rules linked here. All competition dates are shown above.

Middle School Events (and number of students per entry)

  • Humorous Interpretation (1)
  • Dramatic Interpretation (1)
  • Extemporaneous Speaking (1)
  • Original Oratory (1)
  • Duo Interpretation (2)
  • Public Forum Debate (2)

Elementary School Events

  • Original Oratory (elementary school theme is shown below)
  • Storytelling (story is told by memory as if to a group of kindergarten students)

Original Oratory Theme for 2025 (elementary school): Speak about the importance of learning about history. You may speak on history in general or a specific historical event that is important for elementary students to understand. 

Each school may have a maximum of 3 entries per event. Each middle school may have a maximum of 12 total entries. Each elementary school may have a total of 6 entries.

Middle school sweepstakes points will be awarded to the top ten entries in each event with first place earning 10 points, second place 9 points, and so on to tenth place earning 1 point.