One of Waverly-Shell Rock’s most beloved educators was honored recently at a ceremony at her alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa, with a prestigious state award recognizing her dedication and commitment to students and speech education.
Lisa Phyfe, Waverly-Shell Rock High School English and speech teacher, was awarded the 2025 Speech Educator of the Year award from the National Federation of State High School Associations and the Iowa High School Speech Association.
“I’m very excited. I am humbled and honored,†Phyfe said of the award. “I’d like to thank my family and the entire (speech) coaching staff, the students and everybody. Because, I could not do it without them.â€
Phyfe also heaped praise on the administrative staff at W-SR High School and the district as a whole, as well as thanking Matt Ray of local radio station KWAY, who Phyfe said “has been wonderful.â€
“(Matt) helped us with some of our radio broadcasting exercises,†she added.
Phyfe has been a teacher at W-SR High School for 17 years, focused on English and speech. In total, she has taught speech for 25 years – including in several foreign countries.
To be considered for the state award, Phyfe said she was nominated by members of an anonymous panel. Then, she was informed of the award and attended the awards ceremony at the McLeod Center at the University of Northern Iowa.
According to a biography of Phyfe in the awards brochure, she has hosted, chaired, “committee-ed,†sponsored, initiated, spoken, and always delivered with great authenticity, sparkling charisma, and true passion for all things speech.
“Lisa is best described by her peers as one who immediately ascertains genuine, true love for speech education,†officials wrote. “Simply, Lisa sparkles with the most positive of energies. Lisa’s guidance and leadership with all things ‘speech’ have helped develop statewide initiatives. She continues to guide community connections. She continues to lead workshops. She continues to adjudicate generously.
“Lisa is a true giver and even more so, a true guardian for every child. Lisa embraces change, welcomes new thinking, and has been an instrumental leader for the IHSSA,†officials added.
For Phyfe, having the award bestowed upon her in the basketball arena on UNI’s campus was very special. Not only is she a graduate of the college, so are her husband and two children – all three of whom were Panther student-athletes.
Lisa’s husband, Steve, was a standout basketball player at UNI who played professionally overseas for a decade, and her son, Austin, also played basketball for the Panthers. Austin is now an assistant coach for the program. Daughter Aftin, who just celebrated the birth of a new baby, was a swimmer at UNI.
“It was very special. My husband played basketball at UNI. My son played basketball at UNI and is now an assistant coach. And, my daughter was a swimmer at UNI,†she said of the family connections to the Cedar Falls campus.
“Special thanks to my family. They have watched me spend countless hours teaching and coaching. I appreciate their support,†she said of her husband, children and broader family.
In addition to teaching speech, Phyfe also coaches the W-SR Go-Hawk group and individual speech teams, both of which compete at the state level as a sanctioned activity. She said there are between 80 and 100 speech team members on average each school year.
“I am very blessed to do what I do and hopefully make a positive impact on my students. I also forgot to mention something that I often say about our speech team,†she said. “There is no bench on our team. All students are welcome to join and we always find a role for them.â€
Lisa said teaching speech is joyful and rewarding because the skill is so important to success in life, but also because she relishes the ability to help students overcome the immense fear that often stems from the mere thought of speaking in front of others.
“It isn’t easy. Public speaking is the number one fear of many people,†she explained of her passion for educating students. “I think the biggest joy is seeing the growth and students finding abilities they didn’t know they had and building belief.â€
