TOPEKA, Kan. - Receiving the 2023 NFHS Speech/Debate/Theatre/Academics Association Citation is Jamelle Brown, the speech and debate coach from Kansas City-Sumner Academy.
 
An award designed to honor individuals who have made contributions to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) , state high school associations, athletic director and coaching professions, the officiating avocation and fine arts/performing arts programs, the NFHS Citation is one of the most highly regarded achievements in high school athletics and performing arts.
 
“When I was a kid, I loved playing school. During summer breaks, while my sisters and neighborhood friends found joy in playing outdoor activities, I was in my basement playing school with my classroom of imaginary students,” Jamelle Brown said. Brown made her dream a reality when she became a teacher at Wyandotte High School in 1998.
 
Brown has since held a variety of positions at Sumner Academy of Arts and Science, where she currently teaches classes on public speaking, theater, speech and debate. Brown is also the head coach of the competitive speech and debate teams and the co-facilitator of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). She knows that educating students on speech and debate is her life calling, and she leads with the belief that representation matters. 
 
Brown’s speech and drama teams have been highly successful in Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) state competition. Her speech and debate teams have won eight KSHSAA state titles, including six consecutive titles from 2012 to 2017. She also coached the 2015 Kansas state debate champion and had five National Catholic Forensic League National Tournament speech finalists.
 
She has served in numerous leadership roles to brainstorm local and national DEI solutions including National Speech and Debate Association’s Women’s Caucus leader. She served on the NFHS Speech Committee and has been a presenter at the NFHS Performing Arts Conference. Brown has hosted the KSHSAA regional debate tournaments several times and is a member of the Kansas Speech and Debate Association.
 
Brown’s long list of honors includes Three Diamond NSDA Coach, the 2020 National Association of Urban Debate League Coach of the Year, KSHSAA Heart of the Arts Award in 2014 and induction into the Kansas Debate Coaches Invitational Coach Hall of Fame in 2020.

Brown calls students to live by the motto “Fear is NOT an Option.” She sees importance in teaching young people the value of both winning and losing, and the virtue in hard work and participation. Brown considers speech and debate to be an outlet for students to contemplate current events and engage in dialogue about one’s role in society.
 
Thirteen leaders in high school activity programs across the country have been selected to receive National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Citations.
 
Citations for state high school associations, coaching, officiating and performing arts will be presented June 30 at the annual NFHS Summer Meeting in Seattle, Washington. 
 
Eight of the 13 award recipients represent NFHS-member state high school associations, while the other five represent NFHS professional organizations for officials, coaches, music leaders and speech/debate/theatre directors.