The National Forensic League, the speech and debate honor society, is proud to announce Russell Kirkscey as its newest diamond coach. Kirkscey, a teacher and debate coach at Blanco High School, received a second diamond award after earning 3,022 points on December 2, 2012.
A diamond award recognizes a professional career that combines excellence and longevity. The League provides diamond awards based on coach points received. Coaches receive one-tenth the points earned by their students and one-tenth of the points earned as a student member of the League. After a minimum of five years as a League member, a coach who attains 1,500 points is awarded a first diamond; he or she receives a second diamond for 3,000 points, a third for 6,000 points, and so on. Five years must pass between each diamond award.
On June 20, 2013, Kirkscey will receive special recognition at the Lincoln Financial Group/National Forensic League National Speech and Debate Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama. Each year, the tournament draws more than 5,000 students, coaches, and parents from across the nation. The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) has placed the tournament on the NASSP National Advisory List of Contests and Activities since the origin of the list.
The National Forensic League is the honor society for middle and high school speech and debate. The nonprofit organization recognizes participation and progress in public speaking and debate in activities as a means to meet the Common Core State Standards in listening, speaking, reading and writing. The League empowers students to become effective communicators, ethical individuals, critical thinkers, and leaders in our democratic society. Since 1925, more than 1.4 million students have participated in the League, with more than 120,000 active members representing nearly 3,000 schools. The League awards more than $200,000 in college scholarships at its annual National Tournament, the largest of its kind in the world.
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