Last year, students from Tellico Plains and Memphis submitted history-themed projects that were judged to be among the country’s best at National History Day. This year, a group of 66 students from Tennessee have earned the right to compete for similar national recognition.
Students qualified to compete in this year’s National History Day by submitting projects that won first- or second-place medals at Tennessee History Day, which was held last Saturday in downtown Nashville. About 300 students in grades six through 12 participated in the statewide competition.
History Day participants enter projects in five different categories: documentaries, exhibits, research papers, web sites and live performances. The projects can be on various historical topics of the students’ choosing, provided they relate in some way to the annual theme. This year’s theme was “Leadership and Legacy in History.” One hundred and four students received medals for their efforts, 16 students were awarded special prizes, two educators were recognized as teachers of the year, one teacher was named Behring Teacher Ambassador, and the teacher-student team of Whitney Joyner and Scott Moore was recognized as participants in the 2015 Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom Albert H. Small Student & Teacher Institute.
“I congratulate all of the students who participated in Tennessee History Day this year,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. “Even those who didn't win medals at Saturday's event accomplished a lot just by qualifying for the statewide competition. I wish the best of luck to those who won gold or silver medals and will be representing our great state at National History Day. Tennesseans have won a number of honors in the national competition in years past - and I expect the same will hold true this year.”
National History Day will be held June 14 through June 18 on the University of Maryland campus at College Park, Maryland.
"For students, History Day is a chance to explore a time period in depth. For teachers, History Day represents hands-on, project-based learning. For families and the community, History Day is a chance to celebrate what is best about our young people," said statewide coordinator Jennifer C. Core. “We continue to see growth in all areas of the state. In 2015, we had 7100 students participate from across the state.”
The judges at Saturday’s competition – who included university professors, graduate students, high school teachers, librarians, archivists and other public historians – picked the winners from the 165 projects submitted.
Tennessee History Day was coordinated by the Tennessee Historical Society, with sponsorship provided by the Tennessee Department of State, Humanities Tennessee, the Middle Tennessee State University Center for Historic Preservation and the Library of Congress.
Since 1974, History Day has grown from a small local competition in Cleveland, Ohio with about 100 students into an event that attracts about a half million students nationwide each year.
For more information about the program in Tennessee, visit the National History Day website or contact Jennifer Core, National History Day’s statewide coordinator for Tennessee, at (615) 741-8934 or via e-mail at historyday@tennesseehistory.org.
The medal winners from last Saturday’s Tennessee History Day competition are:
SENIOR INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARY:
Third Place
Title: Yasser Arafat: A Visionary Leader with a Mixed Legacy
Student: Ibtihal Malley
School: Pleasant View School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Hamzah Abdul-Malik
Second Place
Title: I Have a Song: Pete Seeger in the Civil Rights Movement
Student: Zoe Brookshire-Risley
School: West High School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher: Carrie Hastings
First Place
Title: Where Death Delights to Help the Living: Pioneers of Forensic Science
Student: Deanna Upchurch
School: Watertown High School, Watertown, TN
Teacher: Barbara Marks
JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARY:
Third Place
Title: A Medical Revolution: The Leadership and Legacy of Dr. Jonas Salk
Student: Samantha Patton
School: St. George's Independent School, Collierville, Collierville, TN
Teacher: Traci Erlandson
Second Place
Title: Unknown Courage: The Leadership and Legacy of Diane Nash
Student: Andrew Faulkenberry
School: Northwest Middle School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher: Christopher Standridge
First Place
Title: Sir Edmund Hillary's Legacy in the Clouds
Student: Tate Greene
School: Clayton Bradley Academy, Maryville, TN
Teacher: Liz Shugart
SENIOR GROUP DOCUMENTARY:
Third Place
Title: "For Liberty": The Leadership of the Tiananmen Square Protesters and the Legacy of their Actions
Students: Jack Kelly, Jonathan Krasin, Clay Posey, Philip Yao, Tom Day
School: Lausanne Collegiate School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Dr. Scott Johnson
Second Place
Title: Liberator of Finland: Carl Mannerheim, the Finnish Resistance, and the Emergence of a Nation
Students: Ryan McGregor, Jiahao Guo
School: McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN
Teacher: Duke Richey
First Place
Title: Solidarity: As Strong as Chains
Students: Lexi Pulliam, Benjamin Ball, Matthew Keith, Helena Bouchard
School: Battle Ground Academy, Franklin, TN
Teacher: Ben Fulwider
JUNIOR GROUP DOCUMENTARY:
Third Place
Title: Alvin C. York: A Leader on the Battlefield, and a Legacy in Education
Students: Dawson Bracket, Brianna Olds
School: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teacher: Whitney Joyner, Polly Kopp
Second Place
Title: Billie Holiday
Students: Emily Kersey, Katie Huneycutt
School: South Doyle Middle School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher: Brett Flora
First Place
Title: "Solidarity Forever": Pete Seeger's Leadership and Legacy in American Culture and Folk Music
Students: Ava Ploeckelman, Donavan Powers
School: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teacher: Whitney Joyner, Polly Kopp
SENIOR INDIVIDUAL EXHIBIT:
Third Place
Title: “Form and Function Joined as One”: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Leadership in the Field of Architecture and His Enduring Legacy
Student: Logan Sorrels
School: Lausanne Collegiate School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Dr. Scott Johnson
Second Place
Title: Operation Catapult: A Greek Tragedy
Student: Joel Liebert
School: Heritage Home Scholars, Greeneville, TN
Teacher: Ramona Taylor
First Place
Title: "Tyranny Like Hell, is Not Easily Conquered": The Legacy of Thomas Paine's Leadership in the American Revolution
Student: Judy Wieland
School: Lausanne Collegiate School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Dr. Scott Johnson
JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL EXHIBIT:
Third Place
Title: The Story is Over, but the Legacy Lives On: Eleanor Roosevelt's Leadership in History
Student: Ariana Collazo
School: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teachers: Whitney Joyner, Polly Kopp
Second Place
Title: Leadership and Legacy of Yasser Arafat
Student: Muadth Malley
School: Pleasant View School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Andre Clarke
First Place
Title: Diane Nash: Leadership through Non-Violence and Activism
Student: Brittani Mays
School: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teachers: Polly Kopp, Whitney Joyner
SENIOR GROUP EXHIBIT:
Third Place
Title: Jesse James: Wanted: A Claim to Fame
Students: Chad Bramlett, Grace Whitten, Madeline Mays
School: Battle Ground Academy, Franklin, TN
Teacher: Ray Blair
Second Place
Title: "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!": Admiral David Farragut Leads the Union Navy to Victory
Students: Noah Watson, Noah Dunlap, Justin Cross, Jeremiah Branson
School: L & N Stem Academy, Knoxville, TN
Teachers: Tressie Norton, Collin Napier
First Place
Title: The Double V
Students: Maya Harris, Logan Miller
School: Dyersburg High School, Dyersburg, TN
Teacher: Jeff Golson
JUNIOR GROUP EXHIBIT:
Third Place
Title: "It's a Woman's War Too!": The Trailblazing WAVES of World War II
Students: Marissa Lott, Amelia Bucher, Sydney Keesler, Lauren Graves, Natalie Sierra
School: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teachers: Whitney Joyner, Polly Kopp
Second Place
Title: Edmond Locard: Father of C.S.I.
Students: Madeline Harrell, Jayah Reeves
School: River’s Edge Christian Academy, Knoxville, TN
Teacher: Lindsey Harrell
First Place
Title: Corinth Contraband Camp: A Community of Forgotten Leaders for a Legacy of Freedom
Students: Miracle Mitchell, Kennede Boyd
School: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teachers: Polly Kopp, Whitney Joyner
SENIOR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE:
Third Place
Title: Under Its Own Flag: General John J. Pershing Leads America's Military Into the Modern Age
Student: Andrew Sabin
School: Red Bank Homeschool, Chattanooga, TN
Teacher: Maria Sabin
Second Place
Title: “Crusader for Communism”: Vladimir Lenin’s Leadership in the October Revolution and his Legacy in the Soviet Union
Student: David Rhea
School: Lausanne Collegiate School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Dr. Scott Johnson
First Place
Title: Anne Dallas Dudley
Student: Madison Moats
School: Lenoir City High School, Lenoir City, TN
Teacher: Rachel Frazier
JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE:
Third Place
Title: Red Cloud
Student: Colton Gentry
School: Philadelphia Elementary, Philadelphia, TN
Teacher: Angela Bright-White
Second Place
Title: Alexander the Great
Student: Gabriel Tipton
School: John Sevier Middle, Kingsport, TN
Teacher: John Mallick
First Place
Title: Earning Representation: Carrie Chapman Catt, Leader of the Suffrage Movement
Student: Whitney Flickinger
School: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teachers: Whitney Joyner, Polly Kopp
SENIOR GROUP PERFORMANCE:
Third Place
Title: “There is Nothing Complicated About Ordinary Equality”: The Legacy of Alice Paul’s Leadership in the Women’s Rights Movement
Students: Lucas Davis, Anna Hori, Gunjan Patel, Rebecca Price, Jordan Sokoloff
School: Lausanne Collegiate School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Dr. Scott Johnson
Second Place
Title: The Accusers: The Salem Witch Trials
Students: Megan Tipton, Trinity O'Neill, Clare Carter
School: West High School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher: Carrie Hastings
First Place
Title: The Wonderful Wizard of Ag: The Populist Movement
Students: Brittany Garcia, Joseph Roebuck, Arshia Basutkar, Sarah Drexler, Sithara Samudrala
School: Ravenwood High School, Brentwood, TN
Teacher: Angela Garcia, Amy Surdacki
JUNIOR GROUP PERFORMANCE:
Third Place
Title: Failure is Impossible
Students: Lucy Bond, Ellie Streeter, Zoe Moore
School: Richview Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teacher: Tabitha Wilson
Second Place
Title: Anne Dallas Dudley: A Leader With a Legacy
Students: Lauren Mund, Erin Kennedy, Isabelle Scott
School: Richview Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teacher: Tabitha Wilson
First Place
Title: Women Suffragettes: The Fight for Rights
Students: Eden Hutchinson, Isabella Miya, Hannah Robbins
School: Clayton Bradley Academy, Maryville, TN
Teacher: Liz Shugart
SENIOR INDIVIDUAL WEBSITE:
Third Place
Title: "Let the Veil of Silence Fall": The Leadership of Lech Walesa in Poland's Solidarity Movement and the Collapse of the Iron Curtain
Student: Ethan Ferguson
School: Lausanne Collegiate School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Dr. Scott Johnson
Second Place
Title: Joseph Pulitzer: Newspaper Genius
Student: Grace Johnson
School: Battle Ground Academy, Franklin, TN
Teacher: Ray Blair
First Place
Title: The Terrible Swift Sword: William Brownlow and Reconstruction in Tennessee
Student: Turner Colocotronis
School: McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN
Teacher: Duke Richey
JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL WEBSITE :
Third Place
Title: Sakakawea: Her Life and Journey into History
Student: Autumn Ritsko
School: Rural Vale Elementary, Tellico Plains, TN
Teacher: Rachel Roberts
Second Place
Title: "An Ideal For Which I Am Prepared to Die": The Life, Leadership, and Legacy of Nelson Mandela
Student: McKenzie Ward
School: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teachers: Whitney Joyner, Polly Kopp
First Place
Title: JFK: Leading Intercultural Understanding Through the Peace Corps
Student: Gillian Patton
School: Sunset Middle School, Brentwood, TN
Teacher: Christopher Harrod
SENIOR GROUP WEBSITE:
Third Place
Title: "A Step Forward": The Leadership and Legacy of Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III
Students: Inara Devji, Munazza Hussain
School: Lausanne Collegiate School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Dr. Scott Johnson
Second Place
Title: Tawakkol Karman: The Iron Lady
Students: Aishah Darboe, Hend Khdier, Kamila Mohammad, Huda Salem, Taqwa Ayesh
School: Pleasant View School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Hamzah Abdul-Malik
First Place
Title: Martha Graham: Leader and Legacy of Modern Dance
Students: Ellery Jernigan, Isabel Mezzacappa, Emma Stovall
School: West High School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher: Carrie Hastings
JUNIOR GROUP WEBSITE:
Third Place
Title: Marquis de Lafayette
Students: Maria Sallee, William Wilson
School: St. George's Independent School, Collierville, Collierville, TN
Teacher: Traci Erlandson
Second Place
Title: Carl Sagan: How He Changed the World
Students: Claire Diehr, Evan Parhas
School: Richview Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teacher: Tabitha Wilson
First Place
Title: Austin Peay: The Rose of Tennessee
Students: Reagan Abbott, Miller Hadley
School: Richview Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teacher: Tabitha Wilson
SENIOR INDIVIDUAL PAPER:
Third Place
Title: Alex Haley, Roots, and the Re-Invention of Black History
Student: Adebayo Fasipe
School: McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN
Teacher: Duke Richey
Second Place
Title: Horace Mann: The American Public School Pioneer
Student: Kathryn Tanner
School: University School of Nashville, Nashville, TN
Teacher: Patricia Miletich
First Place
Title: Mullah Mustafi Barzani: The Enduring Legacy of Kurdistan's Most Prominent Leader
Student: Areej Malley
School: Pleasant View School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Hamzah Abdul-Malik
JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL PAPER:
Third Place
Title: Ella Baker: The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement
Student: Brookelynn Aanerud
School: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teachers: Whitney Joyner, Polly Kopp
Second Place
Title: “¡Viva la Separacion!”: Victoriano Lorenzo Leads a Nation One Day, and a Culture the Next
Student: Alanah Smithson
School: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teachers: Whitney Joyner, Polly Kopp
First Place
Title: Leadership and Legacy of Marie Curie
Student: Nigere Aizezi
School: Pleasant View School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Andre Clarke
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SPECIAL AWARD WINNERS
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Teacher of the Year, Senior Division:
Hillery Griffin, Cosby County High School, Cosby, TN
Teacher of the Year, Junior Division:
Sharron Thompson, Thompson Family Homeschool Program, Tellico Plains, TN
Behring Teacher Ambassador:
Noelle Smith, Greene County Schools, Greeneville, TN
Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom: The Albert H. Small Student-Teacher Institute:
Student: Scott Moore, Northeast High School, Clarksville, TN
Teacher: Whitney Joyner, Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Sequoyah Award:
Title: Nanye-hi, Beloved Woman of the Cherokee
Students: Eli Neal, Lauren Graves
School: First Baptist Academy, Powell, TN
Teacher: Darrell Vandergriff
Margaret Lindsley Warden Prize for Best Project in Women's History, Senior Division:
Title: Out of the Ashes: The Leadership and Legacy of Frances Perkins
Student: Abigail Hill
School: Bearden High School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher: Tammy McKibben
Margaret Lindsley Warden Prize for Best Project in Women's History, Junior Division:
Title: "It's a Woman's War Too!": The Trailblazing WAVES of World War II
Students: Marissa Lott, Amelia Bucher, Sydney Keesler, Lauren Graves, Natalie Sierra
School: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teachers: Whitney Joyner, Polly Kopp
Best Project in Tennessee History, Senior Division:
Title: John Sevier: Leader in the Rebellion and the Legacy He Left
Student: Lia Clarity
School: Heritage Home Scholars, Greeneville, TN
Teacher: Ramona Taylor
Best Project in Tennessee History, Junior Division:
Title: General Leslie Groves: Leadership Built the Atomic Bomb, Legacy is the Atomic City
Student: Eli Thompson
School: Thompson Family Homeschool Program, Tellico Plains, TN
Teacher: Sharron Thompson
Best Project in African-American History, Senior Division:
Title: Alex Haley, Roots, and the Re-Invention of Black History
Student: Adebayo Fasipe
School: McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN
Teacher: Duke Richey
Best Project in African-American History, Junior Division:
Title: Corinth Contraband Camp: A Community of Forgotten Leaders for a Legacy of Freedom
Students: Miracle Mitchell, Kennede Boyd
School: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teachers: Polly Kopp, Whitney Joyner
Society of Tennessee Archivists Award for Archival Research, Senior Division:
Title: Signal Mountain, Tennessee: A Charles James Legacy
Student: Alyssa Neuhoff
School: The Walden School, Signal Mountain, TN
Teacher: Linda Dant
Society of Tennessee Archivists Award for Archival Research, Junior Division:
Title: General Leslie Groves: Leadership Built the Atomic Bomb, Legacy is the Atomic City
Student: Eli Thompson
School: Thompson Family Homeschool Program, Tellico Plains, TN
Teacher: Sharron Thompson
Dr. Ruben Brooks Award:
Title: Leadership and Legacy of Marie Curie
Student: Nigere Aizezi
School: Pleasant View School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Andre Clarke
Dr. Sam B. Smith Award:
Title: Mullah Mustafi Barzani: The Enduring Legacy of Kurdistan's Most Prominent Leader
Student: Areej Malley
School: Pleasant View School, Memphis, TN
Teacher: Hamzah Abdul-Malik