Northfield's Jody Saxton West Named NFHS Outstanding Speech and Debate Educator for Minnesota

Members of the Minnesota Speech Coaches Association aren’t on their own when they enter what Jody Saxton West calls “the wonderful world of speech coaching!”

Saxton West founded the association’s New and Inexperienced Mentorship Program in 2006 and remains its Mentorship Coordinator. She conceived and coordinated the Discussion Practice Task Bank in 2010 to collect coaching resources for a discipline that is unique to Minnesota.

Her work “has fostered collaboration and warm, collegial relationships among Minnesota speech coaches, enhancing the speech coaching experience for everyone involved,” said Dana Amdahl, the speech coach at Albany and Minnesota Speech Coaches Association President.

Saxton West, honored this year as the NFHS Outstanding Speech and Debate Educator for Minnesota, has coached Northfield’s speech team and judged competitions since 2002. She is an eligible judge for section and state tournaments.

A Speech State Tournament participant at Fairmont High School with a runner-up finish in Discussion in 1991 and a third-place result in 1990, Saxton West has a clear memory of the first time her own students advanced to that level.

“I’m taking speakers to state!” she happily told her mom over the phone. She wasn’t fully expecting the response.

"'Congratulations, sweetie! That’s really exciting; except, you’re not taking them to State,'” she recalled her mom saying. “'They’re taking you to State, just as you took Mr. (Cliff) Janke (Fairmont's speech coach) to State all those years ago.'

“It was an important distinction, and I have carried that with me my entire coaching (and teaching) career.”

That humility is evident to her peers as well.

“Her generosity in sharing her expertise has helped many coaches develop stronger programs, ultimately benefiting countless students,” Amdahl said. “Jody's commitment to collaboration exemplifies the power of teamwork and the importance of nurturing future leaders.”

Saxton West earned a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She has been teaching high school science since 2001 and was a middle school science teacher for five years before that.