Karen Feldhaus recently earned multiple awards for her contributions to speech and debate, including being named the Kentucky Speech/Debate/Theatre Coach of the Year. Her Daviess County High School and College View Middle School speech teams both also brought home runner-up titles from a regional competition over the weekend.
Feldhaus receives multiple awards
Feldhaus is a teacher, drama director, and speech and debate coach at Daviess County High School.
She was named Junior High Bowling Green Region Coach of the Year. She and other regional honorees will be considered for State Coach of the Year honors at the state tournament on Feb. 25-26.
Feldhaus was also named both Kentucky and Section 2 National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) Speech/Debate/Theatre Coach of the Year. Kentucky High School Speech League executive director Steve Meadows presented Feldhaus with the state award at the regional tournament. As the Section 2 honoree, Feldhaus now advances to the national level of competition.
NFHS is the national organization dedicated to managing high school sports and performance activities.
Feldhaus was chosen according to the following criteria: overall contributions to the activity; service both to curricular and co-curricular activities; organization and continuance of an activity program; significant and on-going contribution to the field, and contributions to the profession both in and out of the state.
A 25-year veteran teacher, Feldhaus serves on the Kentucky High School Speech League Board of Directors and will be inducted into the League’s Hall of Fame at the 2022 State Speech Tournament.
Over the course of the last 25 years, Feldhaus’ theatre program at DCHS has grown from 25 students per year to over 150, producing six to eight plays and musicals each school year. She sponsors feeder teams at local elementary and middle schools and serves them with summer theatre and speech camps.
While her students have won numerous awards and honors at contests over the years, she stated in a release that her aim is “for students to gain the confidence, desire and skills to communicate to their world. These 21st Century skills will enable the next generation to speak for themselves and others with confidence and civil discourse. And regardless of how many awards you win or number of starring roles in which you are cast, your kindness and encouragement to others is what will be remembered.
DCHS principal Matt Mason said, Feldhaus goes above and beyond for her students.
“She is what I would call a ‘superstar teacher’ in our building,” Mason said. “She has a true passion to see students succeed. Karen is very deserving of this award and I am proud of her accomplishments both in and out of the classroom.”
DCHS, CVMS teams finish runner-up in region competition
DCHS and CVMS competed in the Kentucky High School Speech League regional tournament at Bowling Green Junior High School on Saturday, both finishing runner-up in their respective divisions.
For CVMS, Annaliese Abel was awarded tournament champion in storytelling. Katie Easley was runner-up in storytelling. The improvisational duo team of Kori Cecil and Katie Easley were tournament champions. Kori Cecil finished fourth in broadcasting. Annaliese, Kori and Katie advanced to the state tournament to be held at the University of Kentucky on Feb. 25-26.
DCHS students competing and earning spots at the state tournament inlcude Dixon Benningfield, Delaney Bond, Raylee Brubaker, Campbell Clark, Ella Fogle, Nathan Goins, Clayton Manire, Maddox Meyer, Kate Mills, Gabriel Neves and Beth Newcomb.
Meyer was tournament champion in broadcasting. Newcomb was tournament champion in dramatic interpretation. Clark was humorous interpretation champion. Brubaker was storytelling champion. The duo interpretation team of Goins and Meyer earned tournament champion honors. Goins and Meyer were tournament champions in improvisational duo.
Bond and Newcomb were runners-up in duo interpretation. Benningfield and Fogle were runners-up in improvisational duo. Brubaker and Mills were third in duo interpretation. Manire finished fifth in broadcasting. Clark and Neves finished fifth in improvisational duo. Bond was fifth in prose interpretation.
DCHS students will compete at the state tournament March 11-12 at Northern Kentucky University.
Many CVMS and DCHS students will present their award-winning selections at the Daviess County Public Schools district arts festival in March.
