Partnering with Families Through the Admissions Process

Speech and Debate as Whole Person Formation

Speech and debate do far more than prepare students for competition; they shape how young people think, listen, argue, and engage as citizens. Dr. Jaime Madison Vasquez sits down with Ethan Tong, Jonathan Peele, and Anne McClure to explore how Catholic schools and families can enter this space and use it as a vehicle for whole-person formation and parent partnership. Guests: * Ethan Tong, League Administrator, High School Moot Court Association * Jonathan Peele, Director of Speech and Debate, Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation * Anne McClure, Board Member, High School Moot Court Association What We Cover: * The different formats of speech and debate—platform speeches, limited prep, interpretive events, policy debate, and moot court—and how each develops distinct but complementary skills * How the speech and debate landscape is structured across major leagues (NSDA, NCFL, NCFCA, STOA, Coolidge Foundation, HSMCA) and what distinguishes each for Catholic and classical schools * Practical guidance for schools getting started, from choosing a league and matching events to student strengths, to honestly assessing the time commitment for coaches * Why parents are essential to the speech and debate ecosystem—as judges, coaches, conversation partners, and the first audience for a student’s prepared arguments * How moot court and debate bring formation home through the dinner table debates, late-night arguments, and multigenerational conversations that enrich family culture Chapters: * 00:00: Welcome and guest introductions * 01:27: Ethan’s path into speech and debate and founding HSMCA * 03:43: Jonathan’s journey and the Coolidge Foundation * 05:28: Anne’s story as a debate parent and board member * 08:29: Mapping the speech and debate landscape * 13:59: Coolidge debate: civility, substance, and accessibility * 19:50: Getting started: advice for schools and coaches * 26:17: Time commitment and scaling expectations * 33:04: Moot court vs. debate: different skills, shared formation * 43:03: The role of parents as judges and conversation partners * 56:26: Speech and debate as whole-family formation * 58:42: Where to find HSMCA and Coolidge online Resources: High School Moot Court Association [http://hsmca.org] Coolidge Speech and Debate [https://coolidgefoundation.org/debate] National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) [https://www.speechanddebate.org/] NCFCA Christian Speech & Debate League [http://ncfca.org] National Catholic Forensic League [https://www.ncfl.org/] STOA Christian Homeschool Speech and Debate [https://www.stoausa.org/] Join the conversation * Leave a comment and subscribe at familiaris.substack.com [http://familiaris.substack.com] * Become a paid subscriber at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [http://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe] Paid subscribers gain access to monthly collaborative office hours. Office hours are hosted on Zoom and are not recorded. Pop in to ask a question, get feedback on what you’re working on with families, hear what other leaders are doing in their schools. Visit familiaris-consulting.com [http://familiaris-consulting.com] to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements God bless! Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/] To receive new Familiaris posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [https://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Case Study Method for Parent Formation with Leticia Rodriguez of IFFD

What does it look like to help parents grow in skill and in love for family life itself? Leticia Rodriguez, Director of Family Enrichment for the International Federation for Family Development (IFFD), joins Dr. Jaime Madison Vasquez to share how the Family Enrichment case study method (currently used in 68 countries) equips couples to communicate better, grow in friendship, and become more united as spouses and parents. Guest Leticia Rodriguez, Director of Family Enrichment, International Federation for Family Development (IFFD) What We Cover: * How the Family Enrichment case study method helps couples move from facts to problems to solutions in their family life * Why the husband-wife relationship is the most important factor in raising healthy children * The four-step structure of IFFD’s family enrichment courses: individual study, spouse discussion, small group, and general session * How schools and family enrichment programs can partner to support parents at every stage of a child’s development * Best practices for moderating a group discussion and the common mistake that shuts down conversation Chapters: * 00:00: Introduction * 02:04: Leticia Rodriguez and the Origins of IFFD * 06:42: Discovering the Beauty of Family Life * 11:36: How the Case Study Method Works * 19:13: Why Starting with Facts Transforms Communication * 26:20: The Four Steps: From Individual Study to General Session * 33:54: Parenting Across Every Stage of Development * 38:57: Why the Marriage Relationship Comes First * 45:37: How Schools Partner with Family Enrichment Programs * 47:13: The PAUSE Platform for Families * 51:14: Q&A: Common Moderator Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Q&A: * What are the key ingredients for writing a case study that sparks real discussion? * What are best practices for helping couples commit to a full series of family enrichment sessions? Resources: International Federation for Family Development [https://iffd.org/] Family Enrichment USA [https://www.familyenrichmentusa.org/] Learn about family enrichment courses in the United States. IFFD - Pause [https://www.pause.iffd.org/en] Digital resources to foster study and conversation between couples and among friends. Join the conversation * Leave a comment and subscribe at familiaris.substack.com [http://familiaris.substack.com] * Become a paid subscriber at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [http://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe] Paid subscribers gain access to monthly collaborative office hours. Office hours are hosted on Zoom and are not recorded. Pop in to ask a question, get feedback on what you’re working on with families, hear what other leaders are doing in their schools. Visit familiaris-consulting.com [http://familiaris-consulting.com] to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements God bless! Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/] To receive new Familiaris posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [https://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Quo vadis, humanitas? Vocation, Identity, and the Gift of Freedom (Part 2)

In this follow-up conversation, Dr. Jaime Madison Vasquez and guest co-host Anne McClure move into practical and hopeful insights for families in the recent Vatican document, Quo vadis, humanitas? Together they unpack how memory, rootedness, and a culture of vocation can shape Catholic education, and what it truly means to educate in genuine freedom rather than fear. Guest: Anne McClure – Mother of five, education consultant. Follow Anne on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-mcclure-ed/] What We Cover * Why memory understood as more than data retrieval is essential to forming a sense of vocation in children and adolescents * How rootedness in a specific home, community, and tradition equips students to navigate the confusion and risk of identity formation * The difference between educating for maturity versus filling students with skills, tasks, and measurable outcomes * What a Catholic vision of human freedom looks like in practice—and how the temptations to control, comply, or take the path of least resistance undermine it * How school leaders can build cultures of trust, humility, and accompaniment that form both students and the adults who serve them Chapters * 00:00: Introduction and Recap of Part I * 01:22: Memory, History, and the Roots of Vocation * 09:41: Rootedness, Place, and the Risk of Nomadism * 13:42: Educating for Maturity, Not Just Skills * 18:22: Identity Formation, Story, and the Adolescent Journey * 22:05: A Catholic Understanding of Human Freedom * 28:38: The Rich Young Man and the Temptation to Control * 33:17: Coaches, Mentors, and Extracurricular Formation * 42:18: Humility, Trust, and Building a School Culture * 49:00: Key Quotes and Final Reflections Resources: Quo Vadis Humanitas [https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_cti_doc_20260304_quo-vadis-humanits_en.html] Join the conversation * Leave a comment and subscribe at familiaris.substack.com [http://familiaris.substack.com] * Become a paid subscriber at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [http://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe] Paid subscribers gain access to monthly collaborative office hours. Office hours are hosted on Zoom and are not recorded. Pop in to ask a question, get feedback on what you’re working on with families, hear what other leaders are doing in their schools. Visit familiaris-consulting.com [http://familiaris-consulting.com] to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements God bless! Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/] To receive new Familiaris posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [https://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Quo vadis, humanitas? Why Catholic Schools Need a Vision of the Human Person (Part 1)

In this episode, Dr. Jaime Madison Vasquez and guest co-host Anne McClure explore the Vatican’s recent document Quo Vadis Humanitas, examining what Christian anthropology means for Catholic educators and parents partnering in the formation of children. They discuss the tension between being and doing, the reality of human vulnerability, and how vocation grounds us in relationship with God and one another. Guest: Anne McClure – Mother of five, education consultant. Follow Anne on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-mcclure-ed/] What We Cover: * The foundation of being versus doing in education and why Christian anthropology must ground our practices * How transhumanism and posthumanism challenge Catholic understandings of the human person * The role of tension, vulnerability, and interdependence in human formation * Vocation as call and gift rather than self-directed project * Practical ways to bring these ideas into school communities and homeschool settings Chapters: * 00:00: Introduction & Guest Background * 02:00: Why Christian Anthropology Matters * 04:30: From “Doing” to “Being” * 07:40: Transhumanism & Cultural Pressures * 11:10: Technology, Identity, and Anxiety * 16:00: Rethinking Human Development * 20:50: Achievement Culture & “Power Parenting” * 32:40: Life as Vocation * 38:00: Family, Gift, and Formation Resources: * Quo Vadis, Humanitas [https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_cti_doc_20260304_quo-vadis-humanits_en.html] * Summaries of Quo Vadis, Humanitas (Vatican News [https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2026-03/itc-humanity-s-future-lies-in-relationship-not-technology.html], The Pillar [https://substack.com/home/post/p-190869481]) * Gaudium et Spes [https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html] * International Theological Commission [https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_index.htm] * Episode 12 with Mark Bradford - Created in His Image: A Catholic Vision for Students with Disabilities [https://familiaris.substack.com/p/created-in-his-image-mark-bradford] * Dependent Rational Animals: Why Human Beings Need the Virtues by Alasdair MacIntyre (Amazon [https://amzn.to/3QUzKdt], Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/a/121472/9780812694529], Thriftbooks [https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/dependent-rational-animals-why-human-beings-need-the-virtues_alasdair-macintyre/381731/]) * Newman Forum for High School Students 2026 Summer Institute: There and Back Again: The Adventures of Heroes, Saints, and Pilgrims [https://lumenchristi.org/event/newman-forum-2026-summer-institute-there-and-back-again-the-adventures-of-heroes-saints-and-pilgrims/] Join the conversation: * Leave a comment and subscribe at familiaris.substack.com [http://familiaris.substack.com] * Become a paid subscriber at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [http://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe] Paid subscribers gain access to monthly collaborative office hours. Office hours are hosted on Zoom and are not recorded. Pop in to ask a question, get feedback on what you’re working on with families, hear what other leaders are doing in their schools. Upcoming dates: * Monday, May 11 at 3pm CST Visit familiaris-consulting.com [http://familiaris-consulting.com] to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements God bless! Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/] To receive new Familiaris posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [https://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Created in His Image: A Catholic Vision for Students with Disabilities

What does it mean for a Catholic school to truly welcome every child, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities? Mark Bradford, Fellow for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities at Word on Fire, brings a deeply Catholic anthropological vision to that question, rooted in his own experience as the father of a son with Down syndrome. This conversation gives leaders and parents a framework for seeing every student as indispensable to the body of Christ. What We Cover: * Why disability is not peripheral but central to a Catholic understanding of the human person * How the parable of Lazarus and the rich man reframes what inclusive education is really for * The obstacles families with disabled children face in parishes and Catholic schools and how leaders can remove them * What sacramental inclusion looks like and why it matters for every child’s eternal life * The GRACE Collaborative and other growing initiatives helping Catholic schools lead on inclusion Chapters: * 00:00: Introduction * 00:20: Mark Bradford’s Background and Role at Word on Fire * 02:51: Thomas and the Bradford Family Story * 06:24: Christian Anthropology and Disability * 15:16: Reaching All Audiences with the Message * 21:29: The Pace of Life and Relationship * 25:21: Sacramental Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities * 36:41: Persons with Disabilities as Ministers * 40:16: The Pro-Life Connection * 43:21: The Renaissance of Inclusion in Catholic Schools Resources: * Word on Fire Fellowship for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities [https://www.wordonfire.org/fellowship-for-persons-with-intellectual-developmental-disabilities/] * Mark Bradford’s essays at Word on Fire [https://www.wordonfire.org/?s=mark%2520bradford&rootCategory=Articles] * Follow Mark on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/markebradford/] * Let Us Pray: Catholic Prayers for All Abilities by Mark Bradford (Word on Fire [https://bookstore.wordonfire.org/products/let-us-pray], Amazon [https://amzn.to/4u7FajG], Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/a/121472/9781685781699]) * Indispensable: A Catholic Guide to Welcoming Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities by Mark Bradford (Word on Fire [https://bookstore.wordonfire.org/products/indispensable], Amazon [https://amzn.to/4cMZTCj]) * Gaudium et Spes [https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html] * Quo Vadis Humanitas: Thinking Through Christian Anthropology in the Face of Certain Scenarios for the Future of Humanit [https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_cti_doc_20260304_quo-vadis-humanits_en.html]y * Redemptor Hominis [https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_04031979_redemptor-hominis.html] Inclusion and Special Education Funding Support: * FIRE Foundation [https://firefoundation.org/] * Catholic Coalition for Special Education [https://www.ccse-maryland.org/] * St. Margaret of Castello Fund Michigan [https://catholicfoundationmichigan.org/news/2023/st-margaret-costello-granting-fund/] * Rosewood Foundation Chicago [https://www.rosewoodfoundation.org/] Join the conversation * Leave a comment and subscribe at familiaris.substack.com [http://familiaris.substack.com] * Become a paid subscriber at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [http://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe] Paid subscribers gain access to monthly collaborative office hours. Office hours are hosted on Zoom and are not recorded. Pop in to ask a question, get feedback on what you’re working on with families, hear what other leaders are doing in their schools. Upcoming dates: * Monday, May 11 at 3pm CST Visit familiaris-consulting.com [http://familiaris-consulting.com] to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements God bless! Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/] To receive new Familiaris posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe [https://familiaris.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]