Utah Speech and Debate Participant Selected as Section 7 Recipient of NFHS National High School Heart of the Arts Award
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (March 9, 2016) — Kelsie Albee, a senior speech and debate participant at Manti (Utah) High School, has been selected the 2016 Section 7 recipient of the “National High School Heart of the Arts Award” by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
The National High School Heart of the Arts Award was created by the NFHS to recognize those individuals who exemplify the ideals of the positive heart of the arts that represent the core mission of education-based activities. This is the third year that the National High School Heart of the Arts Award has been offered.
A well-rounded student and performing arts programs participant, Albee has served as an attendant to the current Miss Manti, and has won numerous awards in Future Business Leaders of America and in speech and debate.
After joining the Manti High School Speech and Debate Team as a sophomore, Albee became a team leader who quickly rose from being a novice speaker to one of the best in the state. That year, she placed second in Impromptu Speaking at the Class 2A state competition, narrowly missing the state championship by a few percentage points. As a junior, Albee distinguished herself in Public Forum Debate and Lincoln Douglas Debate.
In July 2015, Albee was diagnosed with a large cancerous tumor on her liver, which caused her to miss almost the entire first semester of her senior year while at the Primary Children’s Hospital. Despite her dire health issues, she demonstrated tremendous selflessness as she expressed sincere and profound concern for a fellow student who often struggles on the Manti High School Speech and Debate Team.
During the past five months, Albee has continued to fight for her life and her health, and her struggle has been felt throughout the community and among the school’s clubs and teams. When her health allows, Albee amazingly continues to come to school to help the student and teachers.
Her decorated locker stands empty now – a symbol of a missing student who inhabits the prayers and hearts of everyone at the school, with the hope that she soon will be able to return to her family at home and to her extended family of Manti High School.
About the Award
The NFHS divides the nation into eight geographical sections. The states in Section 7 are Utah, Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada. Nominations for this award were generated through NFHS member state associations and reviewed by the NFHS Heart of the Arts Award Selection Committee composed of state association staff members. While the national winner will be recognized June 29 at the NFHS Summer Meeting in Reno, Nevada, the section winners will be recognized within their respective states and will receive awards before the end of the current school year.
About the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and fine arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and fine arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing rules for 16 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,000 high schools and 11 million participants in high school activity programs, including more than 7.8 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; produces publications for high school coaches, officials and athletic directors; sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, spirit coaches, speech and debate coaches and music adjudicators; serves as the national source for interscholastic coach training; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities. For more information, visit the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org.