Eloquence Academy extends a formal welcome to Neenah High School!

Located in Neenah, Wisconsin, within the Neenah Joint School District, Neenah High School is a public school serving 1,944 students in grades 9 through 12. Academically, Neenah maintains a 96% graduation rate, placing it among the better-performing schools in the state. On statewide assessments, 40% of students are proficient in math, while around 54% are proficient in reading—a rate that is noticeably above the state average. The school offers a robust curriculum, including 16 Advanced Placement courses.

A recent facilities investment resulted in a modernized campus which supports academics, arts, athletics, and a wide range of extracurricular opportunities. The Neenah speech and debate program competes both locally and nationally in over 22 events. Coach Andrea Peterson-Longmore explained that “many years ago, Neenah was one of the largest and strongest teams in the midwest.” However, a shortage of funding has made sustained engagement a challenge. The school cannot sponsor overnight tournaments, requiring each student to either fundraise or pay out of pocket, usually in excess of $600 per tournament.

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. Last week, we issued a microgrant for Neenah, alleviating the financial burden behind 15 students' travel to the National Speech & Debate Tournament. Additionally, Andrea plans to connect with our team on a bi-weekly basis to discuss fundraising, plans for spending the microgrant, and a preliminary budget for the next school year. Our goal is to offer grants of scaling size and build a long-term relationship with Neenah students.

We are especially excited to partner with Neenah as our first partner school in Wisconsin.

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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 2,200+ students across 35 states and 15 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 and YouTube at @eloquenceacademy.