UCS high school theater teacher honored for innovation
A Henry Ford II High School theater teacher has been honored for her innovation and leadership by a state association of peers.
Kirstin Carolin, a 22-year teacher in the Utica Community Schools, has been selected for the 2021 Bob Kroger Theatre Director of the Year Award by the Michigan Interscholastic Forensic Association.
The Bob Kroger Award recognizes the tireless efforts to promote high school theatre embodied by the award’s namesake. Kroger was a longtime coach, director and mentor in the St. Johns public school system. He taught hundreds of students in theatre arts.
After retirement, Kroger remained active in MIFA Theatre Festivals, returning to present the award many times from his retirement home in Arizona. Nominees for this award are expected to exhibit the highest professional standards. The Bob Koger Award acknowledges the hard work, innovation and sacrifice, and celebrates the outstanding directors of high school theatre in Michigan.
The honor was handed out as part of the MIFA Online Theater Festival on Feb. 13 in front of hundreds of spectators, including state student competitors, directors and consultants.
“She is a role model for all of us,” said Fernanda Hernandez, a senior at Henry Ford II High School who plans to be a theatre teacher in her future. “She is so supportive of her students and will do everything she can to give us more opportunities.”
Carolin’s criteria for nomination was well supported by her peers. Highlighted specifically was her commitment to making theatre possible during a year in which many of the arts, and education in general, has been severely affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, Carolin helped to create the MIFA Online Theatre Festival, an event that will likely continue into the future for schools that may not have the resources to travel to a show for the adjudicated event.
Multiple nominations also spoke to her ability to forge into new and artistic directions with her theatre program at Henry Ford II: One of the nominators said, “Ms. Carolin is thoughtful, genuine, and willing to take risks that push the boundaries of high school theatre and keep students engaged in relevant, artistic expression.”
In addition to directing a highly competitive and regarded program, Carolin also serves the MIFA community as the chair of the Theatre Committee and as a representative on the MIFA Board of Directors.
Carolin has taught theatre at Henry Ford II for the past six years. The school’s next production will be “Peter and the Starcatcher” by Rick Elice, based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. The virtual production will be performed March 26-27 at 7 p.m. and On Demand using AnyWhere Seat.