Our Team

Meet Our Team

KEVIN ROGERS

Director of Technical Theatre and Forensics

KIRIE WALZ

Theatre Director

CHRIS STEELE

Assistant Theatre Director

ROXANNA MCCOMMON

Debate Coach

JESSIE STEELE

Assistant Forensics Coach

Kevin Rogers is currently in this ninth year at Bartlett High School serving as the head Forensics coach and the Technical Director for the Panther Playhouse, which in 2019, was awarded Outstanding Overall Production for Pippin. He graduated from Harding University BA in Theatre and Oral Communication. He serves as the District I Representative for the Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League. In 2016, he was named a WREG News Channel 3 and Tennessee Education Lottery Educator of the Week. He was also the recipient of the 2017-2018 THSSDL Krider Award for Outstanding Speech and Drama Educator of the Year.
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.

Mrs. Walz earned a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Memphis. After college, Mrs. Walz taught at Germantown High School for nine years, before coming to Bartlett High School. In 2019, the Panther Playhouse's production of Pippin received the award for Outstanding Overall Production at the Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards and Mrs. Walz received the award for Outstanding Direction by a Teacher. She has worked at several theatres in the Memphis area including Theatre Memphis and Playhouse On the Square. She has received Ostrander awards for Leading Actress in a Musical in the U of M's production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood and in Theatre Memphis' production of Annie Get Your Gun and was recently nominated for Best Featured Performer in a Musical for her role in Hairspray at Theatre Memphis. Other favorite productions include Elegies: A Song Cycle, Big River, Assassins, Noises Off, Parade and Aida. Mrs. Walz currently teaches Intro to Theatre Honors and Standard at the Ninth Grade Academy, as well as Production Workshop Honors, and Acting Honors at Bartlett High School.

Chris Steele has been teaching English at Bartlett for over 20 years and loves it. She has a degree in speech and theatre and has enjoyed working with the students in the Panther Playhouse over the past few years. Previous credits include: East Lynne (Show Girl), And Then There Were None (Vera Claythorne) and To Kill a Mockingbird (Miss Maude). She loves to perform and direct. “It is so much more fun to work with such amazing talent.”

Roxanna McCommon grew up in the Nashville area where she participated in speech and debate as a teen at John Overton High school traveling across the Mid South competing in various tournaments. After receiving her Bachelors in German and Political Science from Belmont University, she participated in the Fulbright Program in Vienna, Austria teaching English. She also holds a Masters Degree in education from the University of Memphis.
She began coaching as the assistant coach of John Overton High School debate team. After moving to Memphis, she has served as head coach at Cordova High School and Kingsbury High School. She has been teaching German in Memphis for the last 8 years. Her passion for language and politics pairs with her love for her students. She is excited to currently be helping with the BHS forensics team and hopes to grow the debate team each year.

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 Exempt, 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.