EA welcomes new Texas school partner

c/o Dilley High School

Eloquence Academy extends a formal welcome to Dilley High School!

Located in Dilley, Texas, within the Dilley Independent School District, Dilley High School is a Title 1 public school. 77% of students are socioeconomically disadvantaged and 78% qualify for the free lunch program. The nearest city, San Antonio, is 75 miles away (a two-hour drive). Thus, Dilley also qualifies as a geographically rural school and faces its own set of distinct challenges, including longer commute times, heightened costs of travelling and attending events in urban areas, and high teacher turnover. A mere 27% of its teachers are full-time. 

c/o Mark Tribett

While the school faces these systemic challenges, Dilley is known for its tight-knit student body, passionate educators, and strong community values. In recent years, Dilley students have shown increasing interest in academic enrichment. The Dilley speech and debate program now competes in Poetry, Prose, Informative Speaking, Lincoln Douglas Debate, and Policy Debate. Dilley will participate in our curriculum integration partnership, receiving copies of our flagship curriculum to integrate into their afterschool program and Humanities classrooms. We are especially excited to partner with Dilley as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting rural debate.

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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 online and in-person debate classes, summer camps, workshops, tournaments, and in-school programs 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.