EA Welcomes New Washington School Partner
c/o Brittany Lewis
Eloquence Academy extends a formal welcome to Dwight D. Eisenhower High School!
Located in Yakima, Washington, within the Yakima School District, Dwight D. Eisenhower HIgh School is a public school serving 2,315 students in grades 9 through 12. The school stands in the top 1% of high schools within Washington in terms of student body enrollment; minority enrollment stands at 73%, with a majority of students identifying as Hispanic. Unfortunately, the exceptionally large student population results in high demand for academic and extracurricular resources, larger class sizes, and increased competition for limited funding and individualized support.
c/o Brittany Lewis
Now in their fifth year, the debate club at Dwight D. Eisenhower has reached record levels of success. Through hard work, resilience, and collaboration, students have now consistently reached the finals at the Washington State Tournament. Last year, two students even qualified for and traveled to the National Speech & Debate Tournament, competing in Duo Interpretation. However, because the school is located in a geographically rural area, students face longer commute times, often in excess of two hours, and heightened costs of travelling and attending events in urban areas. As Coach Brittany Lewis explained, “we need support for transportation related costs for our competition season.”
Our Debate-Inspired Classrooms program supports the funding or logistical needs of K-12, public, independent, magnet, charter, boarding, and homeschools in developing their own debate programs. Dwight D. Eisenhower will receive copies of our flagship curriculum to integrate into their afterschool club and Humanities classrooms. Later this year, we hope to issue a microgrant for Dwight D. Eisenhower. Through the comprehensive support afforded by our program, Brittany aims to grow her club to 50 students and attend more regional and state tournaments.
We are especially excited to partner with Dwight D. Eisenhower as our first partner school in Washington.
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Eloquence Academy, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and 509(a)(2) public charity dedicated to increasing equitable academic debate opportunities for rural and historically underserved students. The Academy offers debate classes, summer camps, workshops, tournaments, in-school programs, and online resources for 2,700+ students across 35 states and 19 countries. Ultimately, EA aims to prepare youth for college readiness, career engagement, and community impact through the transferable skills gained from debate. Follow EA on Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
