COACH PROFILE
SHARON VOLPE:
A Focus on Mentorship and Motivation by Emily McKenzie
“Speech and debate is the best activity we can offer to kids.” – Sharon Volpe
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s an AP Calculus teacher and speech and debate coach, Sharon Volpe has seen the way the activity has shaped her school’s environment. “Just by having a team at our school, the level of discussions in the classrooms across the curriculum helps impact all students in the school. There is something for every personality,” Sharon says. “Speech and debate is the best activity we can offer to kids. The program teaches students skills they won’t get elsewhere.” Sharon has been actively involved in speech and debate for more than four decades, starting with her introduction to the activity as a student at Mercer High School in Pennsylvania. After
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graduating in 1984, she started judging for her high school. At a tournament in 1987, Sharon told a coach, “If you need help, I will do whatever it takes.” This began her years as an assistant coach for Upper St. Clair High School in Pennsylvania. After coaching for a city school for a year, Sharon found her way to North Allegheny High School.
THE RINGMASTER Sharon’s team is large, often with more than 180 students, most of whom are involved in multiple activities. Practices have an open door and students come when they can. As a result, Sharon has learned to play to her strengths and get creative. “I call
myself the ringmaster because I don’t have time to do everything,” she explains. Sharon and her assistant coaches Janice Kuntz, Annie Sippel, and Nathan Lawver use the NSDA Resource Package to give students the videos and tools they need to learn at their own pace. And, as a strong believer in the value of student mentorship, older students on Sharon’s team work with younger students. “Our program is unique because it does an incredible job of including students of all ages, incomes, and backgrounds,” says team president Katherine Gao. “Much of our program is student-run, giving students a chance to mentor one another and create a unique, personable learning environment, where one person’s success is the whole team’s success.”
Sharon’s belief in mentorship extends beyond the classroom. As the former mentorship chair for her district, she still works with new coaches to guide them through the ins and outs of team management. She advises the coaches she works with to “take it slow. It’s a process, and the learning curve is huge. Even veteran coaches sometimes feel like new coaches. It is important to always ask for help and know that no one is alone in this organization.”
STRIVING FOR RECOGNITION With such a large team, keeping each individual student engaged could pose a challenge. Sharon believes recognition is key to encouraging students. “The membership