PEORIA COUNTY ( 25News Now ) - Dunlap Middle School Speech Team Coach Shauna Segler said she’s not in it for the recognition, but she’s being called the best in the state.

Segler, also an English teacher at Dunlap High School, has been awarded this year’s Outstanding Speech Educator in Illinois and will be considered for regional and national honors.

She has built one of the “most inclusive and dynamic” junior high speech programs in the state, according to a release from the Illinois Elementary School Association. Each year, Segler welcomes students, “fostering confidence, camaraderie, and communication skills,” the IESA also said.

Segler said 154 middle school kids were in her program this year.

“I taught middle school at [Dunlap Middle School] for many years, and I know that it’s

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