Eligibility
Stoa is organized to serve the privately educated, Christian homeschool community. Stoa recognizes and accepts that homeschooling families use a wide variety of homeschooling strategies and supports the parental right to direct the education of their children.
Eligibility for Stoa and the National Invitational Tournament of Champions (NITOC):
It is expected that a student registering for a tournament is able to compete the entire tournament season. Competitors joining Stoa shall meet the following criteria:
1. AGE
Competitors shall be ages 12 to 18 on October 1st of the current season.
2. STATEMENT OF FAITH
The parent member(s) must agree with the Statement of Faith.
There is one God eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30, 2 Corinthians 13:14)
Man is sinful and therefore separated from God, who is holy and perfect.
(Isaiah 53:5-9, Romans 3:23, I Peter 1:15-16)
Jesus Christ paid the eternal penalties for our sin through His death on the cross
(Luke 24:46, I Peter 2:21)
Jesus Christ also resurrected bodily and ascended into heaven and will return one day to fulfill His kingdom. (Matthew 28:6, Revelation 19:11)
Only through Jesus Christ and the grace of His provision of salvation, may we be saved from eternal punishment, enter into God’s family and receive eternal life.
(Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23, Romans 8:11, I John 1:9)
The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible and authoritative Word of God and the truth for Christian faith and practice.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, John 17:17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Psalm 19:7-11, John 6:67-69)
3. HOME EDUCATED
If the following statements can be affirmed with a yes, the student shall be deemed privately home educated for Stoa purposes:
1) Parent or legal guardian(s) direct the educational choices for the student, including the use of dual credit, online/ offline courses, cooperative courses, private tutored courses, and other parent directed methods that support the student’s educational plan; and
2) Parent is the authority to award the Stoa competitor junior high or high school credits and grades; and
3) Under the laws of your state, if your state defines home schooling, the student is classified as legally “homeschooled”; and
4) Student is not enrolled full-time in a public charter school or public school independent study program.
4. LEVEL OF EDUCATION
Stoa student is classified as actively homeschooling as a junior high or high school student, and
1) not previously graduated,
2) nor in a full-time college-level degree program.