Thousands of students have learned how to hold their own ground in the art of public speaking and debate thanks to the help from this Green River coach.
For more than a decade, Dan Parson has been involved in speech and debate on the local and state level.
Parson, who is the Wyoming High School Forensics Association president, was recently inducted in the Wyoming Speech and Debate Coaches Hall of Fame.
According to the National Speech and Debate website http://www.speechanddebate.org, “The highest honor for any high-school speech and debate coach is election to the National Speech and Debate Association Hall of Fame. Each year, nominations are sought from member coaches. In the month of April, current Hall of Fame members and coaches with at least three diamonds vote to determine which nominees will be elected members of this most distinguished body.”
Parson said he didn’t even know his name had come up since it is all determined by previous hall of fame inductees.
While he was at the annual Wyoming Speech and Debate fall conference, he was listening to the speaker talk about who was going to receive the award and he, like the others in the room, was looking around to see who it could be. He said the group likes to keep it secret until the name is announced, so the speaker was vague.
“The whole thing was kept kind of hush, hush,” Parson said.
When Dan’s name was called, he didn’t know what to say, which is saying something for a speech and debate coach.
“I speak in front of people all the time, but even I was flabbergasted,” Parson said.
Parson credits his success in the coaching field to the other Green River High School coaches, head coach Carina White and coaches RaNae Johnson and Jason Grubb. The other coaches seem to feel the same.
“I am so lucky to coach with such a fantastic and talented coaching staff. Dan, RaNae and Jason care deeply about speech and debate generally; and believe in the success it will bring to students for the rest of their lives, but they also care about each student and want to see them succeed,” White said. “All the coaches have a shared vision and we like and respect each other. We each have unique talents to lend to the team, but nobody is territorial about the events they coach and we encourage students to work with multiple coaches and gain different perspectives.”
This is what makes the team so strong, she said.
“I’m not sure I merit this (plaque), but I hung it on the wall just the same.” Parson said. “It’s just incredible to be honored by coaches who are legends in the state,” he said.
Parson may not have felt he was deserving of such an honor, but those who were taught by him or who work with him weren’t surprised at all.
“I have known Dan for a decade, both as a friend and as a colleague. Dan and I built up our small team to what it is today,” White said. “Dan is the most kind, caring, compassionate man I have had the great pleasure to know. When he enters a room kids and adults stop and listen to what he has to say. He is the kind of teacher and coach that others strive to be. I have seen the comments kids have made to him years and years after they have been in his classroom or on his team; Dan affects lives.”
White said Parson is also a two-time Diamond Coach and has been named the Wyoming Coach of the Season two times. Diamond awards are given to coaches who earn so many points within a 5-year period. When he is not busy coaching, Parson serves on numerous committees, organizes tournaments and helps with the state tournament.
“He is personally responsible for coaching dozens of students to state championships, district qualifications and final rounds at nationals. There is nobody more deserving in our coaching community,” White said. “GRHS Speech and Debate wouldn’t exist without the dedication Dan has put into our program.”
Erin Jarnigan, former GRHS student and speech and debate member, said she remembered Parson made speech and debate fun.
“I felt like Mr. Parson was in touch with his inner child and was never afraid to be goofy with us and connect with us on our level,” Jarnigan said. “There was always a lot of work to do - researching, writing cases, or practicing debates, but we had a great time and Mr. Parson always had a great sense of humor.”
Jarnigan said she believes the team was so successful because of its constant dedication to improving and learning by watching what other teams were doing.
“He was always very encouraging of us making connections and friendships with students from other teams and he modeled that behavior by being friendly with his fellow coaches,” she said. “It made the environment at meets more friendly than competitive, and helped students foster connections with others around the state that I know myself, and many of my former teammates, still value.”
Jarnigan believes her success in life now can be attributed to lessons she learned while on the GRHS speech and debate team.
“Mr. Parson was a huge inspiration to me in high school. High school is a critical time of development in a young person’s life; and I think he does his best to make sure each of his students feel important and valued,” Jarnigan said. “He absolutely helped to build my confidence and taught me that I didn’t have to be perfect to make an impact on the team. He genuinely cared about my well being beyond my contributions to the team and I always knew that if I needed anything he would be there for me and for the rest of the students. He made me feel that I could be successful in anything I chose to do, and I chalk up much of my success in college, graduate school and now my career to my time on the debate team and the confidence Dan helped to instill in me.”
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