Institute for Speech and Debate Interpretation of Literature Summer Camp

A typical day runs from breakfast at 8:00am to 8:00pm, and most of it is hands-on work on your piece. After warm-ups at 9:00am, you spend 10:00am to 12:30pm in lab, practicum and one-to-one sessions. Lunch and recreational time last until 1:30pm, followed by a lecture until 2:45pm and another lab and coaching block until 5:15pm.

Dinner runs from 5:15 to 6:30pm, and the evening slot from 6:30 to 8:00pm is more one-to-one or group work. Commuters leave campus at 8:00pm, while residential students stay on campus for the evening. Apart from meals, the lunch hour is the only recreational time on the schedule before 8:00pm, so expect long days.

Interp is led by curriculum directors who are experienced coaches. ISD names Meg Howell-Haymaker as interp curriculum director for Session Two and Eddy Cavazos for Session One, with George Matthew Gutierrez also teaching interp in Session One. Those names are marked as confirmed for 2026, and ISD says it's still confirming its 2027 faculty, labeling each one "Confirmed for 2027" once they've signed a letter of intent. Check who's confirmed before you choose a session.

ISD says all its senior faculty are accomplished coaches with a college degree, and every lab is taught by an adult senior instructor. Junior instructors, who are top former competitors, rotate so that every student gets to work with them. ISD describes its teaching as small-group but doesn't publish a class size or staff ratio.

The camp is open to middle and high school students, and ISD publishes no audition, essay or selection criteria. The enrollment form asks for your grade in fall 2027, your school, and your speech and debate coach's name and email if you have one, and ISD administration approves each enrollment before taking payment.

Because interp has no one-week option, you'll need to be free for the whole two weeks of your session. If you want to do Duo, your partner has to attend the camp as well.

The two-week program costs $3,999 residential, which covers your room and all meals, or $2,799 as a commuter, which includes lunch and dinner but not breakfast.

Flights to Raleigh-Durham International Airport are extra. ISD's optional airport shuttle for students who fly in costs $160 round trip or $110 one way, and you have to book it when you enroll. Registering after 31 May 2027 adds a $200 late fee.

ISD charges the full fee as soon as it approves your enrollment, and every enrollment is non-refundable, so be certain of your session and your summer before you sign up.

Financial aid is available for students who would benefit significantly but couldn't otherwise afford to come. To apply, you send three letters (email is fine): one from you on why the camp matters to you, one from a parent on your family's need and how much you can budget, and one from your coach on your work ethic, leadership and skill. ISD considers requests on a rolling basis and gives out aid first come, first served until the money runs out.

Requests completed by 1 March 2027 get primary consideration, and all funds are awarded by 15 April 2027. ISD doesn't say how aid fits with paying in full at enrollment, so if you're applying for aid, ask before you enroll.

A full-time nurse lives on campus and is available around the clock, and dedicated resident life staff supervise afternoon and evening activities. Residential students must be inside the residence halls by 10:00pm and in their rooms for an 11:00pm room check, with quiet hours until 7:00am.

ISD's directors interview every staff member, and all faculty go through local, state and federal criminal checks and a review of the National Sexual Offenders Registry. Before each session, faculty are trained on harassment, mandatory reporting, professional boundaries with students, and health and drug and alcohol policies. ISD also has a zero-tolerance policy for substance use, discrimination and harassment.

Travel is the part to plan for. ISD doesn't provide an unaccompanied minor service, so a student too young to fly alone needs a parent on the flight or another arrangement.