Coaches of the Year 2023: Kuhlman, Karsten, Bellamy, Battice and Pavlicko

Above: Ben Bellamy, Middle Level Coach of the Year.

Debate: Chris Kuhlman

Chris Kuhlman, Utica Academy for International Studies

Last year Mr. Chris Kuhlman was selected as the MSCI forensic coach of the year, and this year was announced as the debate coach of the year. Chris Kuhlman has been a debate coach of the Utica Academy for International Studies High School Debate team for 14 years. Mr. Kuhlman said, “The UAIS debate team has had a multitude of success over the years. This has been individually amongst the team members and as a team as a whole. Since its creation for the Michigan Interscholastic Forensics Association, UAIS has been the only school to win the Sweepstakes Team State Champion Team trophy for congressional debate. I have also coached multiple Public Forum teams and coached the Varsity State Champion team in 2018. This year, we had the 5th place varsity PF team, 5 of the top ten competitors in the novice congressional debate including the state champion coming from UAIS as well as 3rd & 4th place, and in the Varsity Congressional Debate we went 2, 3, 4, and 7.”

IE: Brian Karsten

Brian Karsten, Grand Rapids Christian High School

Brian Karsten has been a forensic coach of the Grand Rapids Christian High School Forensic team for 18 years. Mr. Karsten said, “In my time here we’ve won 4 Class B State Championships (2008, 2021, 2022, 2023) and 1 Class A State Championship (2019) in IE. In that time, we’ve had 33 Individual State Champions, 15 National Qualifiers and a 3x National Finalist.”

After receiving the award Mr. Karsten stated, “Because of our school schedule, we haven’t been attending the Mackinac tournament the past several years--so my memories of Coach of the Year winners are all of folks with far more experience and success than I had ever dreamed of. So, when they called my name, I was really surprised. I suppose this means I’ve been around a long time and done okay at things!”

Middle Level: Ben Bellamy

Mr. Bellamy has been teaching for 3 years at Greenhills School as the Integrated Public Speaking Teacher and Upper & Middle School Forensics Coach at Greenhills. This year, Greenhills had a record 109 students on the team, meeting once a week to practice. Members of the Greenhills high school team volunteer to act as coaches for the individual events. The middle school team took 59 students to the Spring Middle Level State Tournament on May 6th and finished the day with 12 semifinalists, 32 finalists, and 10 champions. As for the Greenhills High School Forensic team, during his time as coach, the school has won three back-to-back state championships.

Ben says, “More than anything else, I think the true value of speech competition is the way it fosters courage in young people. If you can stand up in front of a group of peers, coaches, and strangers to perform, knowing you are going to be judged and critiqued, then to me, you are courageous.”

Theatre: Dawn Battice

Dawn Battice, Anchor Bay High School

Mrs. Battice has been teaching and directing at Anchor Bay High School. During her tenure at Anchor Bay High School, she has directed at least one fall play and one spring musical in addition to the competitive one act for 15 of the last 17 years, advancing from districts to regional tournaments each time, and advancing to State finals twice, the most recent time being this past winter.

She added that, “I cannot think of a better way to enhance students’ educational experiences than to offer theatrical and performance opportunities. Through my own involvement in the theatre, as both a student and as an educator/director, I have learned so much about so many things and so many people...including myself. Helping my students to do the same through this activity empowers them and prepares them for the world in ways no class (and few other activities) can.”

Assistant Coach: Chris Pavlicko

Chris Pavlicko, Troy High School

Chris Pavlicko has been an assistant forensic coach of the Troy High School Forensic team for 6 years. Mr. Pavlicko said, “Since coaching at Troy in the 2017-2018 school year, Troy High School has placed within the top 10 of Class A schools every year. That first year we had 8 students advance to the State Finals with 3 of them placing within the Top 6 of their respective events. This year, we had 31 students advance to the state finals with 14 of them placing within the top 6 of their respective events. Additionally, since coaching at Troy High School, we have had three state champions within the events of Multiple (Shrek - 2019), Broadcasting (Aahil Abdul Nazeer - 2022) and Oratory (Varsha Penumalee - 2023).”

After receiving the award Mr. Pavlicko stated, “This is such an honor and I thank all those who have mentored me throughout the years. I wouldn’t be here today without them. The skills you learn and develop from participating in forensic (competitive speech) is life changing. Knowing how to stand up in front of an audience of any size and speak to them directly, concisely and able to convey the message you want/need to get across is a skill that is to be admired.”

Originally published in the MSCI Year in Review, October 2023.