About
Honor Academy offers a wide range of academic and communication-focused activities, including Speech and Debate, math tutoring, English writing tutoring, science, homework help, book club, creative writing, drop-in tutoring, public speaking, and test preparation for TOEFL and TOEIC. Students can train in multiple competitive speech and debate formats such as Public Forum (PF), Lincoln-Douglas (LD), Parliamentary Debate, Individual Events (IE), Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Impromptu Speaking, Oratory, Expository, Oral Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Dramatic Interpretation, extemporaneous speaking, persuasive speaking, and after-dinner speaking.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
Honor Academy’s mission is to provide students with the skills and experiences necessary to expand their future opportunities in a world where education continues to become more competitive. The program was founded on a students-first approach to education, with a belief that education should work for the student, not against them. It started out as an after school program meant to support the traditional school curriculum and now covers all core subjects while also offering book clubs, speech and debate, and creative writing.
The academy is known for producing consistent competitive results in speech and debate, with students actively competing in regional, state, and national tournaments. It specializes in competitive coaching for Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, and Individual Events, and does not rely on memorized scripts, instead training students to think, structure ideas, and adapt. Instruction is offered through private and small-group formats with intentionally low student-to-teacher ratios, and individualized programs are catered to meet each student’s specific educational goals in a supportive and fun environment. The program supports a wide range of students with diverse academic needs, including advanced students and those needing extra support, and is highly regarded for academic tutoring, with many families referred through word of mouth.
Honor Academy’s leadership team includes Director BJ Ryu; Head Speech and Debate Coaches Scott Brown and Kitiny Phumchun; and Speech and Debate Coaches Chathi Anderson, Ellie Estrada, Sam Semcheshen, and Dyego Perez. Honor Academy scours various fields of education and extracurricular activities, including book clubs, speech and debate, and creative writing, to find expert instructors, and is committed to small classes and individualized instruction. Coaches and tutors are described as flexible and adaptable to each student’s individual learning style, and small classrooms and private classes are used so coaches and tutors can get to know students on a more personal level.
Honor Academy’s instructors bring strong academic backgrounds and subject-matter expertise. Scott Brown has fifteen years of experience teaching and coaching speech and debate, holds an AA and BA in history, has taught debate for Honor since 2018, and has coached Honor debaters to qualify and advance to elimination rounds for the California CHSSA state championship, NSDA nationals, and the Tournament of Champions (TOC); debaters he has taught have qualified for various national tournaments and state championships and currently attend institutions including Harvard, Stanford, Yale Law, Harvard Law, MIT Graduate School, multiple medical schools, and have led engineering teams at Meta/Facebook and managed the 2022 successful re-election campaign for the chief executive of the nation’s third-largest county. Kitiny Phumchun began her debate career in policy and parliamentary debate in college, achieved accolades at the local and national levels, and has coached students to multiple qualifications for the CHSSA state championship, NSDA nationals, TOC, and to clearing at tournaments such as Jack Howe, Harvard, Stanford, and Georgetown. Chathi Anderson is an experienced speech and debate coach with success at the elementary school, middle school, high school, and collegiate levels, and has coached at Irvine Valley College, Valencia High School, and Honor Academy, with expertise in Parliamentary Debate, Oratory, Expository, Impromptu, Oral Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, and Dramatic Interpretation. Ellie Estrada has been coaching speech and debate for many years with extensive experience at the collegiate level, has competitive experience in Policy, Parliamentary, and Lincoln-Douglas debate and in extemporaneous, impromptu, informative, persuasive, and after-dinner speaking, has earned numerous awards at the local, regional, and national levels, is in a Ph.D. program, and is a member of the school’s nationally competitive coaching staff. Sam Semcheshen is an accomplished debater and dedicated coach pursuing a degree in Political Science at California State University, Fullerton, is an alumna of Honor Academy’s debate program, has participated in competitive debate for many years earning recognition at both the local and national levels, revitalized the Speech & Debate Club at Oxford Academy serving as Co-President and Public Forum Captain, and led competitive initiatives and mentored developing debaters. Dyego Perez started his debate career on his high school’s policy debate team, placed among top speakers, was a city championship winner in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Debate League, and represented his school at the National Urban Debate League Tournament; in college, he and his brother formed a partnership that led to several successes and an invitation for the National Debate League Tournament in Spokane, Washington.
Parent and student testimonials describe tutors as great listeners who identify each child’s starting point and focus on exactly what the student needs help with, sometimes matching techniques used in the student’s school. One student reports that starting math tutoring in 9th grade improved grades and confidence in class, with tutors described as supportive, understanding, flexible to the student’s learning pace, and providing constant progress check-ins and very personal lesson plans that target weaknesses, and that the student is now in senior year taking the most advanced math class offered. Several parents report that their children’s attitudes toward debate changed after joining Honor Academy, that their children became eager to participate in different tournaments, and that they observed improvement in speech and debate skills and academics. Multiple parents state that they feel comfortable and trusting sending their children to Honor Academy, and describe the director BJ and the staff as nice, positive, helpful, motivating, friendly, supportive, and dedicated. Parents also report that their children have done well at debate tournaments, including reaching semifinal rounds out of 33 groups, and that feedback and suggestions after tournaments have been helpful. Several parents and students state that they highly recommend Honor Academy or recommend it to anyone interested in speech and debate.
Last updated July 3, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
Honor Academy’s mission is to provide students with the skills and experiences necessary to expand their future opportunities in a world where education continues to become more competitive. The program was founded on a students-first approach to education, with a belief that education should work for the student, not against them. It started out as an after school program meant to support the traditional school curriculum and now covers all core subjects while also offering book clubs, speech and debate, and creative writing.
The academy is known for producing consistent competitive results in speech and debate, with students actively competing in regional, state, and national tournaments. It specializes in competitive coaching for Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, and Individual Events, and does not rely on memorized scripts, instead training students to think, structure ideas, and adapt. Instruction is offered through private and small-group formats with intentionally low student-to-teacher ratios, and individualized programs are catered to meet each student’s specific educational goals in a supportive and fun environment. The program supports a wide range of students with diverse academic needs, including advanced students and those needing extra support, and is highly regarded for academic tutoring, with many families referred through word of mouth.
Honor Academy’s leadership team includes Director BJ Ryu; Head Speech and Debate Coaches Scott Brown and Kitiny Phumchun; and Speech and Debate Coaches Chathi Anderson, Ellie Estrada, Sam Semcheshen, and Dyego Perez. Honor Academy scours various fields of education and extracurricular activities, including book clubs, speech and debate, and creative writing, to find expert instructors, and is committed to small classes and individualized instruction. Coaches and tutors are described as flexible and adaptable to each student’s individual learning style, and small classrooms and private classes are used so coaches and tutors can get to know students on a more personal level.
Honor Academy’s instructors bring strong academic backgrounds and subject-matter expertise. Scott Brown has fifteen years of experience teaching and coaching speech and debate, holds an AA and BA in history, has taught debate for Honor since 2018, and has coached Honor debaters to qualify and advance to elimination rounds for the California CHSSA state championship, NSDA nationals, and the Tournament of Champions (TOC); debaters he has taught have qualified for various national tournaments and state championships and currently attend institutions including Harvard, Stanford, Yale Law, Harvard Law, MIT Graduate School, multiple medical schools, and have led engineering teams at Meta/Facebook and managed the 2022 successful re-election campaign for the chief executive of the nation’s third-largest county. Kitiny Phumchun began her debate career in policy and parliamentary debate in college, achieved accolades at the local and national levels, and has coached students to multiple qualifications for the CHSSA state championship, NSDA nationals, TOC, and to clearing at tournaments such as Jack Howe, Harvard, Stanford, and Georgetown. Chathi Anderson is an experienced speech and debate coach with success at the elementary school, middle school, high school, and collegiate levels, and has coached at Irvine Valley College, Valencia High School, and Honor Academy, with expertise in Parliamentary Debate, Oratory, Expository, Impromptu, Oral Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, and Dramatic Interpretation. Ellie Estrada has been coaching speech and debate for many years with extensive experience at the collegiate level, has competitive experience in Policy, Parliamentary, and Lincoln-Douglas debate and in extemporaneous, impromptu, informative, persuasive, and after-dinner speaking, has earned numerous awards at the local, regional, and national levels, is in a Ph.D. program, and is a member of the school’s nationally competitive coaching staff. Sam Semcheshen is an accomplished debater and dedicated coach pursuing a degree in Political Science at California State University, Fullerton, is an alumna of Honor Academy’s debate program, has participated in competitive debate for many years earning recognition at both the local and national levels, revitalized the Speech & Debate Club at Oxford Academy serving as Co-President and Public Forum Captain, and led competitive initiatives and mentored developing debaters. Dyego Perez started his debate career on his high school’s policy debate team, placed among top speakers, was a city championship winner in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Debate League, and represented his school at the National Urban Debate League Tournament; in college, he and his brother formed a partnership that led to several successes and an invitation for the National Debate League Tournament in Spokane, Washington.
Parent and student testimonials describe tutors as great listeners who identify each child’s starting point and focus on exactly what the student needs help with, sometimes matching techniques used in the student’s school. One student reports that starting math tutoring in 9th grade improved grades and confidence in class, with tutors described as supportive, understanding, flexible to the student’s learning pace, and providing constant progress check-ins and very personal lesson plans that target weaknesses, and that the student is now in senior year taking the most advanced math class offered. Several parents report that their children’s attitudes toward debate changed after joining Honor Academy, that their children became eager to participate in different tournaments, and that they observed improvement in speech and debate skills and academics. Multiple parents state that they feel comfortable and trusting sending their children to Honor Academy, and describe the director BJ and the staff as nice, positive, helpful, motivating, friendly, supportive, and dedicated. Parents also report that their children have done well at debate tournaments, including reaching semifinal rounds out of 33 groups, and that feedback and suggestions after tournaments have been helpful. Several parents and students state that they highly recommend Honor Academy or recommend it to anyone interested in speech and debate.
Last updated July 3, 2026.
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