2019 NSDA National Educator of the Year Margo Batha

National Speech & Debate Association News: 

• Margo Batha selected from five finalists and more than 5,000 educators across the country.

DES MOINES, Iowa – The National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) is excited to announce Margo Batha from Los Alamos High School in New Mexico as the 2019 NSDA National Educator of the Year.

“Margo has dedicated her life’s work to speech and debate,” said National Speech & Debate Association Executive Director J. Scott Wunn. “She is a leader in the speech and debate community in New Mexico and across the country. It’s my honor to recognize her passion and dedication to this activity.”

Batha has coached the largest debate team in New Mexico for more than a decade, and was the head coach of the first NSDA National Champion World Schools Debate Team. She’s led presentations and workshops for other New Mexico speech and debate coaches, has created partnerships for her team with community organizations, and plans to serve on the Host Committee for the 2020 National Speech and Debate Tournament in Albuquerque.

The focus Batha puts on the NSDA Code of Honor, which calls upon members to value integrity, humility, respect, leadership and service, set her apart from other educators. But it was her commitment to providing relevant, rigorous and innovative educational opportunities to the students of Los Alamos High School that set her above and beyond.

She proudly shared that her students are “agitating for change in our community by advocating for the re-opening of our county public health clinic, by advocating for a mental health professional on our campus, and by raising awareness that there are too few female classical composers taught in high school music classes.”

“It is obvious that Margo is providing the students on her campus a world-class education and phenomenal opportunities in speech and debate competition,” said nominator Trey Smith, New Mexico NSDA District Chair.

Batha was nominated for the NSDA National Educator of the Year award by her fellow educators and her students. She was selected as the 2019 recipient by the NSDA National Educator of the Year selection committee. As well as winning the award, Batha is invited to serve as a keynote speaker at the NSDA National Speech & Debate Educational Conference in August 2019.

For more information about the award, visit www.speechanddebate.org/coach-recognition.

About the National Speech & Debate Association

The National Speech & Debate Association is the largest interscholastic speech and debate organization serving middle school, high school, and collegiate students in the United States. The Association provides competitive speech and debate activities, high-quality resources, comprehensive training, scholarship opportunities, and advanced recognition to more than 150,000 students and coaches every year. For 90 years, the National Speech & Debate Association has empowered more than 1.5 million members to become engaged citizens, skilled professionals, and honorable leaders in our society. For more information, visit www.speechanddebate.org.