Don’t Frown, It’s Mrs. Brown

Elijah Nuebel, Student Editor • November 16, 2023

Mrs. Cathy Brown is an AP Lang and Debate teacher here at Apopka. She has been the debate coach for nearly a decade, and on November 12th, Mrs. Brown received the Most Inspiring Coach award at the National Civics and Debate Championship for the second consecutive year. Here’s what she has to say:

How did it feel hearing your name called on stage for the Most Inspiring Coach award?

Mrs. Brown pictured with Apopka’s other trophy-winners at NCDC

I was shocked. I was really shocked. I kept thinking there were hints that made me think, “No, there’s no way, there’s no way.” I will tell you that in the two years that I’ve won this, in my entire teaching career, these are the most important things I’ve ever gotten. It means the most to me because it came from students. And then I was crying, so yeah, happy tears!

How have you been supported by others along the way?

Well, when I started 10 years ago, I knew nothing. I had other coaches who were very experienced and mentored me along the way. Even if I had what seemed like a really stupid question about how to register somebody for a tournament or which tournaments were what, they were always very patient. Then the kids in the early years, they kind of dragged me along, like, “Miss, there’s this tournament, and there’s this tournament.” I mean they were researching as much as I was, so that we would know what to try and it just, gradually built from there.

What’s the most rewarding thing about being a teacher/debate coach?

The most rewarding thing is seeing when my kids (I call them my kids) are when they grow up, and they’re out fulfilling their dreams and in almost all cases, doing great things in the world and making it you know, making it a better place. There’s really nothing better.

How did you end up becoming a teacher?

You have to remember the time period. It was different back then. Lots of people went to college, but not everybody did. I went to a state college and I got my two-year degree. I was gonna keep going to school gradually. I was working for, what was called the phone company, and they would reimburse for college. That’s when I started going to Rollins. And but I was working full-time and going to Rollins at night driving from Leesburg to Winter Park. I continued it after I started having kids, but I kept having them and eventually, it got to be a little bit too much. And I put everything on pause for a little while until my youngest was four, then I moved to Apopka with the plan to continue at Rollins. At Rollins, you could not come out certified to teach in secondary education. Only an elementary and I would have had to do alternative certification. I love Rollins, but I ended up transferring to UCF because I could come out certified in English and that’s what I did.

Mrs. Brown pictured with more of her debaters in 2022

How did you become the debate coach at Apopka High?

My kids had their club, which Mr. Blevins used to run, and they would just meet after school and debate and stuff. In the end, he handed it over to me. We noticed that every other successful school also had the class. My son Greg and his best friend Josh Brown had requested a principal at the time to have a debate class. I went to Mr. Guthrie, and I said, we’d really like to have a debate class and I told him that Wekiva had one too. I think he thought, if Wekiva has one, we could have one too. He said, well, who would teach it and I said, a number of people could teach it but I would certainly be happy to. He said you have to get 15 people, and if you get 15 people, I’ll give you the class, we got 15 people and that was the start and that was this the 2013-2014 school year.

What’s it like running the wedding venue?

When land was super cheap [my parents] kept buying land little piece by piece way out in the country in Sumter County. Gradually it’s that built up to 450 acres. They decided to give a part to each child. My two brothers built houses, and we instead built a barn (with air conditioning) so that we could have events there. Our daughter was the first person who got married there, my older daughter. We have an extra job. It’s a little side hustle.

Is there anything else that you’d like to share?

I’m a preacher’s daughter. Whatever that implies. I guess we could say I live my life in a fishbowl because of that, but I’m okay with it. I used to be a cat lady, now I’m a cat and a dog lady. I do love animals.

About the Contributor

Elijah Nuebel, Student Editor

I’m Elijah Nuebel, a senior at Apopka High. I have been on The Blue and White for the last two years as a staff writer, and this year I am proud to be the student editor for the 2023-2024 school year. I was born to an American father, and a Dominican mother, and have lived in Apopka my whole life. I grew up with one sibling, my twin, Samuel. My upbringing has allowed me to have a wide variety of experiences, allowing me to be fair and moderate on most issues. Around school, I am most heavily involved in the newspaper and our lacrosse team, among other clubs and organizations. Outside of school, I am an avid sports fan, supporting our local professional teams and Florida State for collegiate athletics. I'm also into video games, cooking, chess, and music. This school year, I hope to make the most of my senior year, by having fun, graduating from both Valencia and Apopka, and getting into colleges that are a good fit. As editor, I aspire to do my part in continuing our shared goal of producing quality content for the newspaper. And always, remember to smile!