Russell Kirkscey, Blanco High School speech and debate coach and communication applications teacher, was honored for his nomination as Texas Speech Communication Association Secondary Educator of the Year on October 8 at the annual TSCA convention held in Irving.

Kirkscey and seven other secondary educators received plaques and congratulations at a reception held in their honor.

The nomination process is rigorous, with supporters of the candidates gathering letters of recommendation and testimonials from colleagues and former students.

Each candidate must also submit a curriculum vitae and teaching philosophy that highlight an active role in professional leadership activities at the local, state, and national levels.

His leadership positions in the TSCA have included Rhetoric and Communication Theory Interest Group Chair, District 13 Chair, Small Schools Ad Hoc Committee Chair, Governmental Affairs Committee, and Nominating Committee.

He has represented the TSCA by giving testimony at Texas State Board of Education Meetings and has assisted in writing speech communication Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for the Texas Education Agency.

He is also a test-item writer for the Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES) for Secondary Speech Communication.

Kirkscey is the UIL State 4A CX Debate Tournament Director, and he lectures to speech and debate coaches and students throughout the state.

He and his former students have presented analyses of several possible debate resolutions at National Federation of High Schools CX Debate Topic Selection Committee meetings throughout the United States.