The CMSDL Golden Gavel Award

The Chicago Middle School Debate League will be awarding the 5th Annual CMSDL Golden Gavel Award at the 2014 Chicago Middle School Debate Championship on March 15th. The Golden Gavel Award is the Chicago Middle School Debate League’s highest honor given to a coach. It’s our “coach of the year” award.

Here’s how the selection process works. We ask that each CMSDL coach (regular and external) vote for two coaches from your conference, from the list of official coaches in each conference below. One ballot (voting for two coaches) per coach, not one ballot per school. Vote by sending an email to cdc@resources.chicagodebates.org no later than Wednesday, March 5th with two names — no explanatory “nomination” necessary. You may vote for yourself and/or your co-coach.

We will announce at the Chicago Middle School Debate Championship the eight finalists — the two coaches from each conference with the most votes. Each finalist will receive a certificate and $100 at the Awards Ceremony. The CMSDL administration will also select a single winner from the list of finalists as the 2014 CMSDL Golden Gavel Award winner. He or she will receive an additional $200, a very handsome Golden Gavel Award, and a place in CMSDL history.

The purpose of the award is to recognize the special excellence of a small group of our coaches — with one coach being most distinguished. By extension, the Golden Gavel Award acknowledges the dedication and effectiveness of the entirety of our coaches’ community.

“A” Conference

Jackie Beale-Delvecchio (Hardey & Sacred Heart)
Nick Bieter (King Arts)
Alicia Homampour (Ogden)
Chris McCabe (Zapata)
Greg Thompson (Lincoln)
Charlie Watts (Hardey & Sacred Heart)

“AA” Conference

Rishi Agrawal (South Loop)
Kyle Beck (Alcott)
Kathy Craig (Alcott)
Jennifer Dalbey (Alcott)
John Jacoby (Old St. Mary’s)
Maria Kareotes (Nichols)
Christian Kline (Bessie Rhodes)
Jared Lee (Skinner West)
Georgia Melidis (Wildwood)
Elaine Purnell (Nichols)
Eric Shank (Ariel)
Kristina Wagner (Haven)
Karl Wiedegreen (Wildwood)

“AAA” Conference

LaTonya Bennett (Kershaw)
Bill Colson (Morgan Park)
Andrew Dockens (Lovett)
David Ellis (McCutcheon)
Nader Elmasri (Nobel)
Amanda Hope (Harvard)
Christine Horst (CICS Chicago Quest)
Rocenetta Jacobs (Beasley)
Tom Meranges (Chicago Jesuit)
Yalonda Neff (Caroll-Rosenwald)
Jeremiah Pickert (Dodge)
Jill Radinelli (Frazier)
Jose Ramirez (Ames)
Michele Smith (Beasley)
Nathaniel Spicer (Beasley)
Bernadina Taylor (Shoop)
Long Tran (Comer)
Brent Turpin (Kershaw)
Daniel Weber (Nobel)