Stay Tuned: ADDITIONAL GUEST speakers & staff coming soon!

Griffith Vertican

Griffith is a licensed Attorney, the 2007 NPDA National Champion, and one of the most successful coaches in Stoa, having coached for 14+ years. He is one of 2 original Stoa debate committee members and the author of both this year's LD (Biomedical Engineering) and TP (Artificial Inteligence) resolutions. He's coached 9 different national champions in all three forms of debate, and the 2018, 2019, and 2021 LD national champions were all his students.

Sara Shipley

Sara competed both domestically and internationally for seven years, winning multiple titles and specializing in TP, Parli, and Limited Prep. She is passionate about coaching effective communication and equipping students with the skills they need to change the world for Christ.

Dylan Jacobs

Dylan Jacobs has competed in almost every speech and debate event. In 2019 he went 5-1 in LD at NITOC and got 6th place in Parli, becoming the national champion in demonstration speech as well. He was the 2020 national champion, finishing 1st on Speechranks for the season.

Eric Garcia

Eric Garcia has been the policy coach for Veritas since Fall of 2006. As a former collegiate coach, he also qualified multiple teams to the NPTE for both Irvine Valley College and Biola University.

Mike & Mary Winther

Mike & Mary Winther both debated in high school, met debating in college, and started their club, Modesto Debate in 1999. This is the Winther’s 22nd year of coaching homeschool debate, and they serve on the Stoa Board of Directors & Debate Committee, respectively.

Gabe Waddell

Once a homeschool debater, Gabe Waddell is a graduate of the Oak Brook College of Law, much of which he paid for with speech competition scholarships. He currently practices law in Fresno, California.

Ginger Vertican-Carrier

Ginger has been NIHD’s worship leader for years, continuing camp traditions including morning chapel, evening devotions, and the camp theme song.

Katy WHitcher

Katy has used her training and experience in the arts to train/coach homeschool students for 12+ years, coaching Stoa interp for the last two years.

Logan Whitcher

Logan is the 2021 NITOC Lincoln Douglas Debate, Mars Hill, and Apologetics national champion! He will team up with Coach Griffith for a special lecture to share his experience winning 3 national titles.

Ethan Blount

Ethan Blount competed in speech and debate for five years, winning over 100 awards total. In all of his different forms of speaking, he appreciates the power and utility of oratory and believes that its true purpose is the Glorification of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Adrian King

Adrian King competed in and qualified for NITOC in all three forms of debate: Parli, LD, & TP. Adrian competed in every speech event except for Expository, earning the Founders Award three years in a row. She is passionate about helping students achieve their goals so that they can best inspire their audiences.

Savanna Winchel

Savanna Winchel competed in STOA for four years and has been involved in the STOA community for over a decade. She has a deep love for learning and an enthusiastic passion for teaching students to do great things for the glory of God, through the art of public speaking.

Noah Reid

Noah Reid finished the previous season with multiple undefeated records, including being the only 6-0 TP team at NITOC. Aside from policy, he qualified for nationals in all 3 forms of debate, and is eager to share what he has learned.

Seth Paap

Seth Paap competed in Stoa for 7 years, and his strength is connecting with his audience to deliver poignant, realistic stories that carry raw emotion. He is passionate about wielding the power of words for Christ. He is excited to share his experience and to help usher in the next generation of Stoa competitors.

Abigail Winchel

Abigail Winchel competed in both speech and debate in Stoa. As a three-year Duo Interpretation finalist, her teaching emphases include cultivating strong partnerships, learning quality acting abilities & scriptwriting skills, and with building a piece that will shine in a competitive atmosphere.

Luke Popson

Luke successfully competed in almost every Stoa category; winning tournaments in events from from HI to TP. In his senior year, he ranked 4th in the nation for TP speaks and he and his partner had the most wins of any Parli team in the nation. He graduated last year and is now pursuing a degree in Homeland Security at ASU.

Ryan Shipley

Ryan competed in speech and debate for six years, ending 2020 by going 5-1 in both TP & Parli at NITOC. He has an extensive background in both visual and vocal forms of communications. He is passionate about developing people and enabling them to become high-value individuals through mindset, focus, and direction.

Neil David Mangrobang

Neil David Mangrobang competed in Stoa for five years. He competed in TP, Parli, and several different speech events including MHI, OI, and OO. He received the Founders' Award at NITOC in both 2018 and 2019. He has a passion for pursuing Christ in every part of life.