About FORGE Academy
Who We Are
A speech and debate club
FORGE Academy is a speech and debate club for Christian home educated students ages 9 to 18.
We hold weekly classes in Circleville, Ohio throughout the school year and compete in the spring tournaments organized by Christian Communicators of America (CCA).
Through the study and practical application of speech and debate skills, students learn to think Biblically, communicate truth with wisdom and grace, and develop the knowledge, character, and confidence to serve Christ faithfully throughout their lives.
H.I.S. Academy Club Member
FORGE Academy is one of the clubs associated with H.I.S. Academy, a Christian homeschool co-op in Circleville, Ohio. H.I.S. Academy has a dual meaning: belonging to our Lord Jesus Christ, and Home Is School.
The group offers support and encouragement to home-schooling families in the Pickaway County and surrounding areas. H.I.S. Academy is a Christian organization, serving Christian families. The organizational purpose is to provide traditional homeschool families with support classes, field trips, and information that will better enable the parents to educate their children.
H.I.S. Academy operates as a co-operative where all members are required to donate their time and effort in some service so that the work is evenly distributed among the members.
Why FORGE Academy?
A forge is a place of transformation. It is where raw, unrefined materials are subjected to intense heat and pressure to be shaped into instruments of enduring strength and purpose. The name FORGE reflects our commitment to this refining process.
We believe that Godly character and compelling communication skills are not acquired effortlessly. They are forged through the development of personal discipline, perseverance, and the steady guidance of mentors in a community of grace.
At FORGE Academy, students are refined intellectually, spiritually, and personally through study, practice, constructive feedback, and faithful discipleship. Our goal is not simply to produce accomplished speakers or successful debaters, but thoughtful Christian men and women prepared to serve Christ with wisdom, courage, and grace.
FORGE Stands For...
faith
Faith is the foundation of the Christian life. It is an active, confident trust in God and His Word as Truth that shapes how we think, speak, and live. Genuine faith is evidenced by a life of obedience and service to Christ. (Hebrews 11:1; James 2:26)
Ownership
We take ownership of our personal growth by preparing diligently, receiving feedback with grace and humility, and pursuing excellence with perseverance. (Colossians 3:23; 2 Timothy 2:15)
responsibility
We faithfully honor our commitments to God, our families, our teammates, and our community by acting with integrity, dependability, and self-discipline. (Proverbs 10:9; Titus 2:11-13)
gravitas
We strive to be people whose words carry weight because they are grounded in wisdom, humility, integrity, and genuine care for others. (Ephesians 4:15; James 1:19; Colossians 4:6)
epignosis
We believe true wisdom comes from knowing God more deeply and continually growing in our understanding of His Word, His world, and His ways. (Colossians 1:9–10; 2 Peter 1:2–3; Philippians 1:9–11)
Mission & Vision
MISSION
FORGE Academy helps equip Christian home educated students to think Biblically, communicate truth with wisdom, and develop the skills and experience needed to serve Christ effectively in their homes, churches, communities, and future vocations.
VISION
Our vision is to use the study and practical application of Speech and Debate skills to forge graduates whose lives demonstrate Biblical wisdom, who courageously proclaim truth with love, who engage with and successfully influence our culture with wisdom, and lead lives of Christ-centered purpose.
Our Educational Philosophy
At FORGE Academy, we believe that the ability to think critically, research effectively, and speak with wisdom, confidence, and grace are essential skills that help us not be led astray by “philosophy and empty deception” (Colossians 2:8).
Speech and Debate provide a unique environment where students develop these skills through disciplined preparation, meaningful competition, and constructive feedback.
As many metals are refined through fire and shaped in the forging process, students at FORGE Academy are strengthened through challenge, perseverance, and encouragement. (1 Peter 1:6-9, Isaiah 48:10, Prov 17:3)
Our desire is for every graduate to become not only a more capable speaker and debater, but a mature disciple of Christ who loves truth, pursues wisdom, serves others with humility, and communicates with conviction and grace.
While we believe in competing in such a way as to win the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24), we know that winning speeches and/or debate tournaments are not the ultimate goal. Through their training at FORGE Academy, students will ultimately grow into successful adults who
1: know what they believe
2: why they believe it (personal faith from a foundation of truth), and
3: can clearly articulate to others why they believe what they believe so that they can have genuine conversations with others and be a shining light in our fallen world (Matthew 5:14-16).
Partnership with CCA
FORGE Academy is proud to partner with Christian Communicators of America, an organization sharing our deep commitment to equipping students for Christ-centered communication. Through this affiliation, our students gain access to state and regional tournaments, rigorous academic standards, and a broader community of like-minded scholars dedicated to the pursuit of truth and wisdom.
About CCA from their website
Founded in 2002, Christian Communicators of America is a non-profit organization that focuses on developing rhetorical and critical-thinking skills in homeschooled students, so they may confidently express themselves in a manner that brings glory to God.
Our Statement of Faith
FORGE Academy abides by the Statement of Faith from both its parent organization (H.I.S. Academy) and Christian Communicators of America (CCA).
H.I.S. Academy Statement of Faith
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son & Holy Spirit. We believe in the deity of our Lord, Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential and that this salvation is received through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and not as a result of good works. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling, the Christian is enabled to live a godly life and to perform good works. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord, Jesus Christ.
CCA Statement of Faith
Meet Our Coaches
Rachel Hiser
FOUNDER & DEBATE COACH
Rachel Hiser is the Founder and Debate Coach of FORGE Academy.
Rachel is a second-generation homeschooling mother of five who experienced the transformative impact of speech and debate training in her junior and senior years of high school.
Home educated from seventh grade through graduation, Rachel competed locally, regionally, and nationally through the Columbus Debate Club, a homeschool Christian speech and debate club founded by her late-father, attorney Wesley Emerson, and former speech teacher LaRue Basinger. Under their mentorship, Rachel earned numerous awards as both a debater and speaker at the local, regional, and national levels.
Those experiences taught her far more than how to win arguments. The training provided through competitive speech and debate cultivated a love for deep research, careful analysis, perseverance, and lifelong commitment to Biblical truth and justice.
FORGE Academy fulfills Rachel's lifelong vision for passing on the same gifts she was given by equipping the next generation of home educating students to become effective communicators who love truth, think deeply, speak wisely, and faithfully serve God wherever He calls them.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." - Proverbs 9:10
Brittney Rutter
CO-FOUNDER AND SPEECH COACH
My background includes teaching, coaching, ministry, and missions, and I have always enjoyed helping young people grow in confidence and discover how God can use their gifts.
As a coach and mentor, I want students to feel supported while also being challenged to grow. My hope for FORGE is that students will gain more than public-speaking and debate skills. I want them to become thoughtful, courageous, and gracious communicators who know what they believe and can share it clearly with others.
"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." - Colossians 4:6
Dedicated to Truth, Wisdom, and Christ
We invite you to step into a rich academic tradition. Whether you are ready to apply, seeking more information, or simply wish to connect with our leadership, we look forward to hearing from you.