Kevin Rogers

Director of Forensics

Kevin Rogers is currently in his 12th year at Bartlett High School serving as the Technical Director for the Panther Playhouse and the Director of Forensics. He graduated from Harding University BA in Theatre and Oral Communication. He serves as the District I Director for the Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League and is on the National Speech and Debate Association District Committee for Tennessee. In 2016, he was named a WREG News Channel 3 and Tennessee Education Lottery Educator of the Week. He also received the 2017-2018 THSSDL Krider Award for Outstanding Speech and Drama Educator of the Year. In 2022, he was inducted into the THSSDL Hall of Fame.
He is also a local theatre artist having been the lighting designer for productions at Germantown Community Theatre, the Harrell Theatre, and Desoto Family Theatre where he was nominated for an Allie Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Jessie Steele

Assistant Forensics Coach

Jessie Steele has been working at Bartlett high school since 2017, subbing, covering classes and helping Mr. Rogers learn the ways of interp. In 2019 she was hired on as a full time English teacher, and was appointed assistant coach of the forensic team.
Miss Steele competed in forensics all four years of high school, in every current event except Exemp, POI and OO. She particularly loved interp events. Since becoming a coach, she has loved helping students find that perfect peace, be it from the children’s section at the library, the students Spotify playlist, or her own tattered and overstuffed bookshelves. While Miss Steele was also involved in main stage productions in school, she enjoyed the ever changing possibility and sense of competition forensics brought her.
She is incredibly proud of the team, and the department and is looking forward to seeing them strive to do more, to do better, and to above all- love what they do and be passionate about what they love.