Jane Rinehart Coach of the Year Award

This award will go out annually to a selected coach of nominated candidates that reflect the values Jane Rinhart exhibited in her career. After turning down multiple lucrative offers to coach at prestigious programmes, Jane Rinehart decided to coach debate in the urban core at Kansas City Central – a school plagued by incompetent administration part of a failing and unaccredited district. Despite the lack of funds, inadequate budget promises, and even enmity from countless coaches in her state, Jane Rinehart transformed Kansas City Central into one of the nation’s most competitive powerhouses regularly being private schools. Jane’s refusal to acquiesce to the run of the mill conventions that her students were less capable helped countless students including Aaron Thomas, Ryan Wash, Marcus Leach, Brandon Dial, Dominique Baker, Ebony Rose, and several other collegiate debate legends find their passion and voice. Kansas City Central was the first high school debate programme to bring performative kritikal debate from college to the local and national circuits, revolutionizing knowledge production in the activity which caught so much attention Jane and her students were the subjects of the terrific book by Joe Miller “Cross-X”. Often times Jane transcended her role as coach to also include caretaking and giving her students a room to live in, sometimes for years. She continues to house and care for young people as her generosity is seemingly endless.

Nominations for Coach of the Year will be accepted until November 8^th. Any student, assistant, or coach may nominate a coach – we ask for a letter to be written on behalf of the candidate sent to sohailjouya@gmail.com
 
We will select a worthy candidate who epitomizes Jane Rinehart’s resolve, fortitude, selflessness, grit, and passion to increase inclusivity to marginalized students in debate.

Past winners:
Jamelle Brown, Sumner Academy - 2019