SPEAK: Speech Professional Education Alliance of Kentucky
SPEAK Background
In 2008, after seeing a drop in participation numbers at the KHSSL State Tournament, a group of Kentucky's most active high school speech and debate coaches met during the Kentucky National Forensic League District Tournament's first round. As a result of that meeting, SPEAK first organized in 2008 in Nicholasville courtesy of a grant from the National Forensic League. Plymouth High School (Indiana) coach David McKenzie was the keynote speaker at this event. Krista Kohl,Jim Combs, Erika Stevens, Rachel Page, Molly Seifert, and Steve Meadows were the officers elected at the meeting or thereafter.
Over the next three years, SPEAK produced an informational brochure and had an officers' meeting while continuing to encourage speech education statewide. In 2011, the Kentucky National Forensic League absorbed SPEAK into its outreach program and asked the Kentucky High School Speech League, the Kentucky Educational Speech and Drama Association, and the Kentucky Catholic Forensic League to co-sponsor the first SPEAK Conference -- the Speech Professional Education Alliance of Kentucky. With the support of Dr. Deanna Sellnow and the Division of Instructional Communication at the University of Kentucky, SPEAK 2011 is a reality.
Over the next three years, SPEAK produced an informational brochure and had an officers' meeting while continuing to encourage speech education statewide. In 2011, the Kentucky National Forensic League absorbed SPEAK into its outreach program and asked the Kentucky High School Speech League, the Kentucky Educational Speech and Drama Association, and the Kentucky Catholic Forensic League to co-sponsor the first SPEAK Conference -- the Speech Professional Education Alliance of Kentucky. With the support of Dr. Deanna Sellnow and the Division of Instructional Communication at the University of Kentucky, SPEAK 2011 is a reality.
