Smith earns coach award

Lake City High School debate coach Kara Smith was awarded the Diamond Coach Award on May 25 by the National Speech & Debate Association. Along with Smith, 26 other speech and debate coaches were awarded nationwide.

According to a press release, they will be recognized at the world’s largest academic competition, the National Speech & Debate Tournament, in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 16. More than 7,000 students, coaches, and parents from across the nation attend the tournament each year.

This award is based on the coaches’ distinction through team participation, student achievement, public service, and leadership work, the release says. Coaches must be a member of the NSDA for at least five years to qualify for a diamond award.

The NSDA has been recognizing student and coach achievements in speech and debate since 1925. It is the largest interscholastic speech and debate organization serving middle school, high school, and collegiate students in the United States, providing competitive activities, resources, training and more for more than 130,000 students and coaches every year.