The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced Tuesday, Feb. 6, that former Homewood-Flossmoor High School English teacher and speech coach Janine Stroemer, who retired in 2022, has been awarded a National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) citation.
The award is “designed to honor individuals who have made contributions to the NFHS. … The NFHS Citation is one of the most highly regarded achievements in high school athletics and performing arts.”
In her 19 years at H-F, Stroemer coached nearly 300 students to the IHSA state finals, culminating in 30 IHSA state finalists and six state champions, including one in Dramatic Duet Acting, one in Humorous Interpretation, two in Performance in the Round, and two in Group Interpretation. In competitive drama, Stroemer has led H-F teams to the final round 13 times.
Among her other accomplishments at H-F, she hosted the Southwest Suburban Conference championship 13 straight years and earned Three-Diamond status with the National Speech and Debate Association. Twice, she was nominated for the Golden Apple in Teaching Award.
In 2020, Stroemer was an advocate for legislation which amended the Courses of Study Article of the Illinois School Code and added forensic speech (speech and debate) to the music, art, foreign language or vocational education elective that a pupil may choose to satisfy the one-year prerequisite that each pupil entering the ninth grade is required to successfully complete to receive a high school diploma.
Stroemer was involved in the Illinois Communication and Theatre Association throughout her career, serving as a conference presenter, second vice-president, vice-president and as president during the 2021-22 school year.