Who MSCI honours
Three rolls, and they answer different questions: a lifetime, a single school year, and a guest the President chooses. 64 Coach of the Year awards since 2012, and a Hall of Fame running unbroken since 1979.
A single year
Coach of the Year
An award in each area of speech activities, for one school year's work. Not every category is filled every year, and a dash means nobody was named.
Nominations close at 11:59 pm on the Wednesday following MIFA IE State Finals.
| Year | Forensic | Assistant | Debate | Theatre | Middle Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Dan LaffertyLoy Norrix High School | Jenna AlamatUAIS | John LawsonW.E. Groves High School | Nathan and Jackie CharneskiSt. Johns High School | Miranda MillerRoyal Oak Middle School |
| 2025 | Katarina MooreMason County Central High School | Laura MooreThe Roeper SchoolSteve TuitGrand Rapids Christian | — | Amy JanzGrass Lake High School | Sarah Scurti-ArgoBerkshire Middle School |
| 2024 | John RutherfordW. E. Groves High School | Alec OlweeanPortage Central High School | Deb MarshDexter High School | Heather McKaigNovi High School | Dan JacobsThe Roeper School |
| 2023 | Brian KarstenGrand Rapids Christian | Chris PavlickoTroy High School | Chris KuhlmanUtica Academy for International Studies | Dawn BatticeAnchor Bay High School | Ben BellamyGreenhills |
| 2022 | Chris KuhlmanUtica Academy for International Studies | Wendy HoltBirch Run High School | Ryan NiermanW. E. Groves High School | John RutherfordW. E. Groves High School | — |
| 2021 | Tyler BaasPortage Central High School | Kaghen MillerPortage Northern High School | Ruth KayDetroit Country Day School | Lori DuncanHeritage High School | — |
| 2019 | Amy JanzGrass Lake High School | Nate RitsemaGrand Rapids City High School | — | Kirstin CarolinHenry Ford II High School | Ken WeinsteinLeslie High School |
| 2018 | Tom RichertMason County Central | Andrew BrockThe Roeper School | Leanne SchmidtNotre Dame Prep | Jackie CharneskiSt. Johns High School | Mackenzie HagoodSaline Middle School |
| 2017 | John Rutherford and Hayley McKinneyW.E. Groves | Pat CorcorranWalled Lake Western | Shelley VenemaSaline | — | Aleks LuchinBirmingham Covington |
| 2016 | Amy UrbanowskiBirch Run | Rick StevensNorth Branch | Sam BagenstosGreenhills | John RutherfordW.E. Groves | Barb EbelingGreenhills |
| 2015 | Ashley BowenPortage Northern HS | Adam BlaylockBloomfield Hills HS | John LawsonW.E. Groves HS | CeCe WeeksLoy Norrix HS | Courtney BassettCovington MS |
| 2014 | Kathy TarDivine Child HS | Ryan PartickaFlint Powers Catholic HS | Debora MarshDexter High HS | Bill LaphamBattle Creek Central HS | Cindy StevensNorth Branch MS |
| 2013 | Becca WeissmanDetroit Country DayRuth KayDetroit Country Day | Chris WessellPortage Northern HS | Chris KuhlmanUtica Academy for International Studies | — | Tara HeywoodPortage North MS |
| 2012 | Danielle HarshAndover HS | — | Craig HenniganWest Bloomfield HS | Dawn BatticeAnchor Bay HS | — |
| 2020 | No Coach of the Year was named. The conference and both tournaments were cancelled. | ||||
A lifetime
The Hall of Fame
MSCI’s lifetime achievement award, judged on a coach’s experience, their success, and their service to the Michigan speech community. Coaches are nominated annually; the Executive Board reads every nomination and decides on merit.
Recipients are inducted at the Evening of Champions on the Friday of the Spring Conference. A plaque carrying every member since 1979 hangs in the lobby of the Grand Hotel.
- Time in service
- A minimum of 10 years coaching in the field
- A minimum of 7 years as a member of MSCI
- Success in coaching
- Significant success coaching speech, debate or theatre within Michigan — multiple state champions in any MIFA or MSCI state championship series event, or a substantial number of finalists across them
- Decades of individuals and teams scoring high at theatre, debate or individual event competitions
- Opportunities created for student success by building, continuing, fostering or revitalizing programs in Michigan
- Service to the community
- State-wide office held in MSCI, MIFA or a comparable state-wide organization
- Numerous speech, debate or theatre events hosted and directed in Michigan
- An environment fostered for mentorship, so programs continue after them
Nominations close January 31.
Recently inducted
- 2026Nancy FitzgeraldGrand Rapids Christian
- 2025Becca WeissmanBloomfield Hills High School
- 2024Tom RichertMason County Central High School
Only recent inductees are published. The full roll back to 1979 is on the plaque at the hotel.
The Hall of Fame plaque in the lobby of the Grand Hotel, and the year's inductees.
A guest
Guest of Honor
Chosen by the President, approved by the Board, and celebrated at a reception during the Spring Conference.
This year
Ken Weinstein
Leslie Public Schools
Three years as an assistant, then twenty as head coach of Leslie High School and Middle School. A decade on the MIFA IE Committee, six years on the Region 2 Middle School Committee, two as MSCI’s Class BCD representative. Middle School Coach of the Year in 2019, and into the Hall of Fame in 2020.
He deeply enjoyed helping students find their voice and develop as performers and public speakers.
Every guest on record
| Year | Honoree | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ken Weinstein | Leslie Public Schools |
| 2025 | Debora Marsh | Dexter High School |
| 2024 | Theresa Mills | Portage Central High School |
| 2023 | Barb Ebeling | Greenhills School |
| 2020 | Dave Bassett | Dakota High SchoolSelected for 2020 and celebrated in May 2022; the pandemic took the two years between. |
| 2019 | Thomas V. Lietz | Utica High School |
| 2018 | Carole Bennett | Oakland Community College |
| 2017 | Ray Quiel | Eastern Michigan University |
There is no 2021 or 2022 honoree of their own — the 2020 selection was carried forward and celebrated in May 2022. See the history for the rest of what the pandemic moved.