for parents

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Life in Southern California can be very hard – the high cost of living, demanding careers, global competition, long commutes, etc. – before you even start to think about doing right by your kids.

Happiness for adults bottoms out in the late 40s and early 50s. It’s been described as the rush hour of adulthood – lots of professional responsibilities, children in their critical adolescent years, and elderly parents in need of care. It gets better from there, because the sacrifices that you’re making now start to pay dividends later on, when your happiness will rise again. It just doesn’t feel that way at the time!

For many parents, going to speech and debate tournaments with their teenage children is a bonding experience that both cherish for the rest of their lives. It’s a chance to spend quality time with your children before they leave the nest and have those deep conversations where you can articulate what truly matters to you. Parents have commonly reported over the years being truly impressed by their children’s college application  essays, in seeing their children  able to articulate a concrete vision for their future that’s well thought out, well researched, and from the heart. Speech and debate competition plays a big part in that, along with giving them a group of high achieving peers they will share for the rest of their lives.

The primary reason why parochial schools historically sponsored speech and debate programs long before the public schools was because no one can teach a child what the world will be like in 50 years, but schools can give children the tools to navigate that world. In our case, that’s the ability to research, write, and think about an issue from a multitude of perspectives, while then being able to stand up and advocate for what you believe is right. Thus it’s no surprise that the majority of today’s Supreme Court justices attended parochial schools. Speech and debate alums consistently, disproportionately occupy positions of leadership across all sectors of society, not just the law.

As the world will become more automated and interconnected over the coming decades, the human skills uniquely refined in speech and debate competition will become even more valuable – judgment and discernment, persuasion, negotiation, leadership, ethical reasoning, storytelling, and relationship building.

We are not luddites and technology is at the core of what we do, along with cross-cultural competence. Students have to learn different sides of debate topics and research and write speeches on subjects that they’re passionate about, and then deliver those speeches and argue those debate topics in front of audiences from around the world.

Regent Legacy Academy is a labor of love intended to fill the gap not only created by the closure of La Reina, but by the decline of speech and debate competition in California. We do not want cost to be a barrier for good, hardworking kids and are happy to work with families regarding scholarships, payment plans, and the developmental needs of their children. Tournament fees are passed through at cost and discounts are available for enrolling multiple children.  We are also happy to work with school administrators and faculty advisors to ensure your children are able to compete in certain state and national tournaments that require students to compete under the banner of their degree-granting institution.