Karen Feldhaus has been named Regional High School Coach of the Year by members of the Kentucky High School Speech League, which includes coaches from Daviess, Warren and Franklin counties plus Bowling Green. She now advances to be in consideration for statewide coach of the year honors.
Feldhaus, who is the speech coach and theatre director at Daviess County High School, has taught for 25 years and served as a speech coach for 24 years. Under her leadership, her teams have earned regional championships or been named runners-up for more than a decade.
While she is grateful to be honored by her colleagues, Feldhaus said the greatest reward is knowing the impact she’s making in the lives of her students.
“To me, being selected means that my efforts to provide students with opportunities to improve their communication, team and leadership skills are being recognized,” Feldhaus said.
Feldhaus said the rewards of competition go far beyond scores and winning.
“I truly enjoy coaching and I try to impress that upon my students,” she said. “If they are not finding joy in this activity — even when the results may not be what they hoped for, or if the process of improving is challenging — then why are they participating? There has to be more about competition than winning. For me, it is about helping my students find the joy in sharing their stories and messages.”
DCPS Superintendent Matt Robbins said Feldhaus exemplifies the district’s “Kids First” mission of excellence.
“I always say, and I genuinely believe, Karen Feldhaus gives our kids an opportunity to shine,” Robbins said. “There is tremendous value in extra- and co-curricular activities and the impact they have on our students. Karen’s gift of time and talent is amazing. I am so proud of her incredible accomplishment in being named Regional Coach of the Year.”
Feldhaus is currently preparing her teams for state tournaments. The middle school state tournament will be held online Feb. 26-27. The high school state tournament is scheduled to begin March 12 with live finals on March 13.
