Former Decorah teacher Susan Cantine-Maxson has been selected as this year's recipient of the Iowa Communication Association's Citation Award

Former Decorah High School teacher Susan Cantine-Maxson has been selected as this year's recipient of the Iowa Communication Association's Citation Award.

The Citation Award is given each year to an individual who has consistently demonstrated exceptional service to the communication and/or performing arts in Iowa over an extended period of time. It is the highest award the ICA bestows. 

Cantine-Maxson will receive the award Friday, September 20th, at the organization's annual conference in Ankeny.

Cantine-Maxson has taught English/speech/theatre for more than 41 years. In that time, she has been involved in teaching speech at the high school and college levels.  She has also dedicated her time and expertise in the direction of extracurricular speech and theatre. She has been an active member in numerous professional organizations, often taking on leadership roles. A member of ICA since 1989, she has served on the executive board of the organization for 13 years, six of those as executive secretary. 

Now retired, she continues to be a lifelong advocate of the arts, currently working as the executive director of the 106 year old Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, Kansas, and serving as the secretary of the Kansas Historical Theatre Association.
 
In Decorah, Cantine-Maxson taught at the high school level, eventually became department head, coached her students in individual and large group competitions and directed numerous plays and musicals.  Of her groups, 89 were chosen as Outstanding Performances and five were selected as Critic's Choice at the Large Group All State Festival.

In 2000, the National Federation of Interscholastic Speech, Drama, and Athletics selected her as one of eight outstanding speech/theater teachers in the nation.  In 2005, the Iowa High School Speech Association inducted her into their Hall of Fame.