Ivy Bridge Academy Summer Highlights

Dr. Michael Hester– IBA Head Debate Coach | IBA College Admissions Consultant

Dr. Hester is renowned within the debate community as both a leader in curriculum development and coach of championship debaters. During his 29 years as Director of Debate for the University of West Georgia, he

Coached three national champion teams (2000, 2001, 2015) and two national runner-up teams (1999, 2013) in intercollegiate debate
Received the 2017 recipient of the Ross K Smith National Coach of the Year in intercollegiate debate
Received the George Ziegelmueller Outstanding Achievement Award for lifetime achievement in intercollegiate debate
Served as chair of the Topic Committee for the Cross Examination Debate Association, 2017-2020
Served as chair of District VI (Southeast US) for the National Debate Tournament, 2009-2020
Currently serves as the chair of the board of directors for JADE (Jamaican Association for Debating & Empowerment) and as a member of the board of directors of iDebate Rwanda.

In addition to his intercollegiate coaching, over the last fifteen years, Dr. Hester has worked extensively with high school debaters competing in national and international competitions. This includes:

Coaching teams to the Elite Eight of the International Public Policy Forum world championships on four occasions (2015, 2019, 2021, 2024), including the IPPF runner-up in 2024
Assisted in coaching the 2021 TOC Student Congress national champion
Serving as the lead for curriculum development in grant-funded projects with ministries of education in Jamaica and Rwanda

College Consulting Service

With more than a quarter-century of experience in higher education, including faculty positions held at prestigious institutions such as Cal-Berkeley, Emory, and the University of Michigan, Dr. Hester has advised and mentored hundreds of students. High school students he has worked with have gained admission into prestigious universities across the nation, including Georgetown, Harvard, and Stanford; additionally, the students at UWG with whom he has counseled have gained not only admission, but also full scholarship offers, into top 10 engineering schools, law schools, and medical schools, including Berkeley, University of Chicago, and UPenn.

Dr. Hester is intimately familiar with the college admissions process and knows how to share his wisdom with students to maximize their chances of gaining admission into the schools of their choice.

Private Lessons

Call for schedule and fee.
404-519-7715
PF debate
Policy debate
LD debate

Learn about our IBA Debate Teams

IBA Debate Coach

I have over 10 years of experience in the world of competitive debate, both as a coach and as a competitor. For the past year, I have been at IBA, where I have focused on mentoring students and helping them navigate the challenges of highly competitive debate formats. I am driven by a long passion for debate, and my goal as a coach is to ignite that same passion and competitive spirit into my students, inspiring them to approach debate with curiosity and excellence.

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Patrick Smith – IBA Varsity Debate Coach

I have been involved in policy and public forum debate for over 16 years. My forensics experience started with policy debate at Chattahoochee High School, where I won the state championship twice and reached out rounds at multiple national tournaments. After that, I debated at Georgia State University and worked with the Atlanta Urban Debate League. Post-graduation from UGA, I began working with Ivy Bridge Academy and have been there for over 12 years. During that time, I coached teams that won 10+ national middle school tournaments, including Harvard, Stanford, MS TOC, and NSDA Nationals. I have also coached high school teams to acquire 10+ gold and silver TOC bids at competitions such as Harvard, Stanford, UK season opener, and Georgetown.

In addition, my other experience in college included:

Dean’s Honor Roll
Security Leadership Fellowship
Multiple presentations at the CURO undergraduate research symposium
Work with the Roosevelt Institute.
Graduating from UGA with a double major in International Relations and Political Science (3.8 and 4.0 in major classes)

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Siobhan Connolly – IBA Debate Coach | Debate Tournament Coordinator

Ms. Siobhan Connolly is a graduate of UGA (Communication & Public Speaking)

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Dominik Anderson – IBA JV Debate Coach

IBA Debate Coach since 2017 at IBA Cumming/Suwanee Campus
IBA Debate Coach for After-School Debate Sessions ( ES | MS ) at Wilson Creek ES | Shakerag ES | Creek View ES | Webb Bridge MS
Many of Coach Dominik’s students have won at local and national level debate tournaments

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Jada Ford – IBA Debate Coach | English Teacher

Jada Ford received her B.A. in English at Louisiana Christian University. She is scheduled to graduate in the winter of 2023 with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing. She is an adjunct professor at Point University and a debate coach at the Ivy Bridge Marietta Campus.

Novice debate coach since 2020 (Ivy Bridge Academy)
IBA Debate Coach for After-School Debate Sessions ( ES | MS ) at Mouth Bethel ES | Wilson Creek ES
IBA Summer camp debate coach
Writing assistant for three years in undergraduate

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John Hankey – IBA Novice Debate Coach

IBA Debate Coach for Novice Debate at IBA Cumming/Suwanee Campus
IBA Debate Coach for After-School Debate Sessions ( ES | MS ) at Wilson Creek ES, Shakerag ES, and Creek View ES

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Joshua St. Peter – IBA Varsity Debate Coach

I am a debate coach for the IBA Marietta Campus and I have been involved in debate for about 6 years, competing and getting top places at tournaments including qualifying for NSDA nationals. Now I am a student at Georgia State University focusing on Philosphy and Education; additionally I am a Director for the GSU Debate Team. I have coached students to win tournaments at Alabama State, and Princeton and students to qualify for NSDA nationals.

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Eric Lang – IBA SAT Teacher | College Consultant

For over ten years, Mr. Eric Lang has taught high school English, SAT reading and writing, and essay writing.

Graduate of Harvard University
Served as Harvard Interviewer
Advised students on college essays
Serves as college consultant
Students gone on to attend Harvard, Columbia, Brown, Duke, Georgetown, and Georgia Tech among many others.

Learn about IBA SAT Tutoring

Dr. Thinh – IBA Math Teacher (MS-HS) | SAT Math Teacher

Dr. Thinh is currently a math professor at the collegiate level.

Programing language and Skills:

Pascal
Visual Delphi
Phython
Java
Visual Basic
C
C++
Parallel programing
Maple
MatLab
Mathematica
Geometry Sketchpad
Sundance
Fenics
Linux
OS X (Mac OS)
Microsoft Window
MS office
LaTex

Learn about IBA Math Tutoring

Learn about IBA SAT Tutoring

Mr. Gordon – IBA Coding Camp Instructor

I am the Codng Instructor for Ivy Bridge Academy’s John’s Creek location. I’m currently majoring in Computer Science at the University of North Georgia and will be graduating in 2023. I’ve been teaching Python Java, Scratch, JavaScript and more since 2016. I look to inspire students to take an active interest in Computer Science and Information Technology beyond just passing a class and hope to give them a new creative outlet that will greatly benefit them in life.

Learn about IBA Coding Programs

Grace Webster – IBA English (ES-MS) Teacher | ESL Teacher

Graduate of University of North Carolina, Greensboro, with many years of experience teaching English Language Arts, book clubs and ESL.

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Linda Adelman – IBA English Teacher

I received my BA from Florida Atlantic University and my Masters in Curriculum: Reading from Grand Canyon University. I have 20 years’ experience teaching students ranging from gifted to special education, 3rd to 12th grade. While I am certified to teach all major subjects, my focus is English/Language Arts. I am retired from Fulton County Georgia, but I’ve not stopped teaching. I’ve been at Ivy Bridge Academy for the past 5 years. For me, there is nothing more satisfying than helping students achieve success in academics.

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Christine Baek – IBA Summer Camp Instructor

Ms. Christine Baek is in Brown University’s Class of 2025 interested in pursuing English and Literary Arts.

My writing is published/forthcoming in Blue Marble Review, elementia, and Polyphony Lit, among others, and has been recognized by The New York Times and the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. In high school, I also served as Editor for Curieux Academic Journal and Northview’s national award-winning literary magazine The Muse.

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Eman Sayani – IBA Summer Camp Math & Writing Instructor

Ms. Eman Sayani is a rising sophomore at Boston University where she is working towards a B.A. in Neuroscience. She graduated from Alpharetta High School in 2020 where she was involved with swim & dive, and as the President of both National Honor Society and Raider Ambassadors. Eman looks forward to working with students this summer to ensure that they are prepared to excel in this upcoming school year.

Learn about IBA Summer Camps

Christy Knoll – IBA After-School Program Director

Contact Info: [email protected]

IBA Public Speaking & Debate After-School Programs:

Brian Choi – Debate Coach | Math Teacher

Mr. Brian Choi teaches Math and Debate at the IBA Suwanee/Cumming Center.

Debate Coach
Math Teacher (ES-MS-HS, all math level curriculum)

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Learn about IBA Math Tutoring

Susan Rhee – IBA Johns Creek Center Director

Susan Rhee is the founder of Ivy Bridge Academy, and currently serves as the IBA Johns Creek Center Director.

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Sarah Rouquie – IBA Cumming/Suwanee Director Assistant | Math & English Tutor ES MS | Summer Camp Teacher

Learn about IBA Math Tutoring

Learn about IBA Cumming/Suwanee Center

Casey Kang – IBA Marietta Center Director

Casey Kang serves as the director of our IBA Marietta Center.

Learn about IBA Marietta Center

Eshkar Kaidar-Heafetz – IBA Debate Coach

I’ve been involved in competitive debate for the past 7 years. I started at Taylor Road Middle School’s debate club, organized by Chattahoochee High School, where I later continued debating. In high school, I was the first team in four years to qualify for the high school policy Tournament of Champions, qualifying twice. I received speaker awards at tournaments such as Harvard, Marist, Isidore Newman, and more.

In my first year as a coach, I have guided local schools like John’s Creek High School and Alpharetta High School to multiple bid rounds, including four bids to the policy TOC, and coached students to eliminations at tournaments such as Westminster, UGA, Bingham, and more. I began judging national competitive debates as a sophomore for the Chicago Urban Debate League and later judged within Georgia’s competitive circuit and the national circuit, covering local public forum debate to policy rounds at the high school Tournament of Champions.

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Ms. Laurel – IBA Johns Creek Center Director Assistant | Math & English Tutor ES MS

I am the Director Assistant for the Johns Creek Campus as well as an IBA Tutor for Math and English ES/MS. I have been teaching since graduating high school in 2017. Currently I am also a student at the University of North Georgia, majoring in digital arts and animation, and minoring in the Japanese language. I enjoy working with and challenging students to a higher standard of learning.

Learn about IBA Math Tutoring

Learn about IBA Johns Creek Center

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