Petal Speech, Debate, Theater
Petal High Speech and Debate Team
Director
Petal High School Theater Department
Welcome back students for the 2022-2023 school year!!
About Me.........
Hello, my name is Kelly Garner, and I am the coach of the Petal Speech and Debate Team (competitive public speaking, debate, and theater), and the director of the Petal Drama Department. This year, I will start my 26th year of teaching in the Petal School District. While here at Petal High, I have directed over 53 drama performances and coached over 380 speech and debate tournaments.
My husband, Wayne, and I have two children. Max, who is a junior at Mississippi State University where he is majoring in electrical engineering, and Gabby, who is a junior at Petal High School and a member of the Petal Speech and Debate team. As a family, we love spending time at home on the farm, playing with our pet Nubian goats, Fred and Ethel Mertz.
Over the summer, I am proud to announce that one of our team members in Petal Speech and Debate finished up second in the nation in poetry interpretation at the National Speech and Debate Online national tournament!
As a team, we are so excited about the upcoming season. Several of our team members spent the summer working at debate institutes across the country and we are looking forward to another successful year.
Besides coaching speech and debate, directing plays/musicals, and teaching at PHS, I currently serve as a committee member for the Mississippi Forensics League (Magnolia District), as the moderator of the Biloxi Diocesan Committee for the CFL National Forensics Tournament, and I am on the rules committee for the MHSAA Activities Association for Speech and Debate.
This year, I will be teaching Theater I, Theater II, Oral Communications I, Debate I, Credit Recovery, and coaching the Speech and Debate Team. We are always looking for new members to add to our team! If you have any questions, please reach out to me via email at kelly.garner@petalschools.com.
Kelly Clark GarnerPetal High Speech and Debate TeamDirectorPetal High School Theater DepartmentWelcome back students for the 2022-2023 school year!!About Me.........Hello, my name is Kelly Garner, and I am the coach of the Petal Speech and Debate Team (competitive public speaking, debate, and theater), and the director of the Petal Drama Department. This year, I will start my 26th year of teaching in the Petal School District. While here at Petal High, I have directed over 53 drama performances and coached over 380 speech and debate tournaments.My husband, Wayne, and I have two children. Max, who is a junior at Mississippi State University where he is majoring in electrical engineering, and Gabby, who is a junior at Petal High School and a member of the Petal Speech and Debate team. As a family, we love spending time at home on the farm, playing with our pet Nubian goats, Fred and Ethel Mertz.