Months of research and hard work paid off on Saturday for the 101 students and two teachers who won awards at the state level contest for National History Day in Tennessee, known locally as Tennessee History Day.
The winners are eligible to represent Tennessee at the National History Day contest, which will be held in College Park, Maryland June 12-16. The first- and second-place finishers automatically qualify for the nationals. Third-place finishers are eligible to attend if the first- or second-place finishers in their categories can’t attend.
The event, which was held at the Legislative Plaza, the Snodgrass Tower, and the Nashville Public Library, attracted more than 240 students from across the state. The participants were all award winners from district competitions held in Memphis, Murfreesboro, Knoxville and Chattanooga.
The competition was coordinated by the Tennessee Historical Society with sponsorship provided by Humanities Tennessee and Secretary of State Tre Hargett. Additional support is provided by the Tennessee General Assembly, The Memorial Foundation, Cracker Barrel, National History Day, the History Channel and the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation.
"I want to congratulate all the students who participated in Tennessee History Day this year, particularly those who qualified to compete in the National History Day finals in June," Secretary Hargett said. "Every time I meet with students who participate in History Day, I come away from the experience impressed and even more optimistic about our future. I believe History Day participants will be our future leaders. This competition helps them to develop the skills needed to be successful in college and in their careers. History Day participants are also more likely to be engaged and well-informed citizens when they reach adulthood, which is good for our democracy."
In the competition, students in grades six through 12 presented history-themed projects in a variety of formats – including museum-style exhibits, research papers, web sites, documentaries and dramatic performances. This year’s theme was Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences.
The judges – who included university professors, graduate students, high school teachers, archivists and other public historians – picked the winners from the 128 projects submitted.
Nationwide, more than half a million students participated in some level of History Day competition this year, including about 6,000 from Tennessee.
Since 1974, National History Day has grown from a Cleveland, Ohio competition with about 100 students to a national academic program that engages 2 million people annually
Complete List of Winners
Patricia A. Behring Teacher of the Year in the Junior Division: Ms. Traci Erlandson of St. George’s Independent School in Memphis.
Patricia A. Behring Teacher of the Year in the Senior Division: Dr. Patricia Brake Rutenberg of the Tennessee Governor’s Academy in Knoxville.
Special Awards for Best Projects in Military History
Sponsored by the Company of Military Historians
In the Junior Division, the award went to Alyssa Neuhoff of Walden Home School for her Individual Exhibit on “Failed Diplomacy for Civilian Internees in the Phillipines.”
Teacher: Linda Neuhoff.
In the Senior Division, the award went to Cameron Halbert, a homeschool student from Franklin, for his Individual Exhibit on “Nuclear Bomb.” Teacher: Sharon Wilharm.
Special Awards for Best Projects in Women’s History
Sponsored by the Tennessee Historical Society
In the Junior Division, the award went to Rachel Wilson of Montgomery Central Middle School in Clarksville for her project on “The Abolitionist Movement and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Involvement.” Teacher: Laura Hoffman.
In the Senior Division, the award went to Maranda Vandergriff, Elisa Vandergriff, Lydia Taylor, and Emily Hartley of Berean Christian School for their Group Documentary on “War of the Roses: Ratification of the 19th Amendment.” Teacher: Katie Vandergriff.
Special Awards for Best Projects in African American History
Sponsored by the Tennessee Historical Society
In the Junior Division, the award went to Emily Burkhead of Snowden School in Memphis for her Individual Documentary on “The Integration of Memphis Churches.” Teacher: Sally Busby.
In the Senior Division, the award went to Ashleanne Zachary, Logan Craig, and Allison Kitts of First Baptist Academy in Knoxville for their Group Documentary on “Was the Price Too High for the Clinton 12?” Teacher: Darrell Vandergriff.
Special Awards for Best Projects in Tennessee History
Sponsored by the Tennessee Historical Society
In the Junior Division, the award went to Lauren Collins of White Pine School for her Individual Documentary on Eminent Domain: Private Tragedies for the Public Good.” Teacher: Jack Collins.
In the Senior Division, the award went to Ruth Simberloff of West High School in Knoxville for her Individual Paper on “Darwin v. Creation: The Scopes Trial and its Consequences.” Teacher: Candace Greer.
The Society of Tennessee Archivists Awards for Archival Research
In the Junior Division the award went to Turner Bryant, a homeschool student from Signal Mountain, for her project on “The Last Desperate Battle.” Teacher: Suzy Bryant.
In the Senior Division, the award went to Bernadette Turnage and Dakota Engelhart, homeschool students from Goodlettsville, for their Group Exhibit on “The Cherokee Syllabary Affects Debate and Diplomacy. Teacher: Laurale Curtsinger.
The Sequoyah Award for the Best Project Accurately Portraying the American Indian in History.
The award went to Lyndsey Lanham and Jade Plemons of Vonore Middle School for their Senior Group Website on “The Indian Removal Act.” Teacher: Joan McFall.
Junior Individual Exhibit
1st place to Alyssa Neuhoff, a homeschool student from Signal Mountain, for her project on “Failed Diplomacy for Civilian Internees in the Phillippines.” Teacher: Linda Neuhoff.
2nd place to Turner Bryant, a homeschool student from Signal Mountain, for her project on “The Last Desperate Battle.” Teacher: Suzy Bryant.
3rd place went to to Sandi Inscore of Mosheim Middle School for her project “President Andrew Johnson vs. Congress.” Teacher: Steven Tunnell.
Junior Group Exhibit
1st place to Roxanna Wood and Taylor Owens of St. George’s Independent School in Collierville for their project on “Women in the Military: We Can’t Win Without Them.” Teachers: Traci Erlandson and Marianne Leung.
2nd place to Kelsey Pepper and Courtney Harshbarger of St. George’s Independent School in Collierville for their project on “The Debates that Changed History: Lincoln-Douglas, Illinois, 1858.” Teacher: Traci Erlandson and Marianne Leung.
3rd place to Jared Whitaker and Payton McGough of St. George’s Independent School in Collierville for their project on “Taxation without Representation.” Teacher: Chris Miller.
Junior Individual Documentary
1st place to Emily Burkhead of Snowden School in Memphis for her project on “The Integration of Memphis Churches.” Teacher: Sally Busby.
2nd place to Lauren Collins of White Pine School for her project on “Eminent Domain: Private Tragedies for the Public Good.” Teacher: Jack Collins.
3rd place to Katie Brown of St. George’s Independent School in Collierville for her project on “Orphan Trains.” Teacher: Chris Miller.
Junior Group Documentary
1st place to Kaylee Vance, Chelsie Yarde, Alexis McElhaney, and Tyler Green of Pine View Elementary in Rockwood for their project on “The Cumberland County Coal Ash Debate: Community vs. Commission.” Teacher: Rachel Eckelson and Trish Edington.
2nd place to Sophia Quesada and Sope Adeleye of St. George’s Independent School of Collierville for their project on “Brown vs. Board of Education.” Teacher: Chris Miller.
3rd place to Rachelle Carmack and Angie Dolan of Bellevue Middle School for their project on “Akhenaten: Mad Man or Visionary.” Teacher: Crystal McCarter and Vanessa Lutton.
Junior Individual Performance
1st place to Hailey Rose Viars of Philadephia Elementary for her project on “To Tell the Truth: Will the Real Belle Boyd Please Stand Up?” Teacher: Rebecca McBride.
2nd place to Lindsey Rice of Northeast Middle School in Clarksville for her project on “Nancy Ward: Fight for Land.” Teacher: Whitney Joyner.
3rd place to Taylor Dean of Chuckey-Doak Middle School in Afton, TN for his project on “The Debate of the Emancipation Proclamation.” Teacher: LeAnn Myers.
Junior Group Performance
1st place to Lauryn Jennings, Brianna Tyre, and Ariana Nelson of Northeast Middle School in Clarksville for their project on “Nannie Haskins: Tolerating the Enemy.” Teacher: Whitney Joyner.
2nd place to Lacey Dupont and Morgan Walker of New Center Elementary in Sevierville for their project on “Native American Boarding Schools: Heartless Assimilation or Benevolent Opportunity.” Teacher: Rebecca Byrd.
3rd place to Mallory Hearn, Morgan Craig, and Allyson Neal of First Baptist Academy in Powell, TN for their project on “Who Really Won the Scopes Monkey Trial?” Teacher: Darrell Vandergriff.
Junior Individual Website
1st place to Andrew Sabin of Chattanooga for his project on “The Berlin Wall and the Debate over the Future of Europe.” Teacher: Maria Sabin.
2nd place to Mitchell Mielnik of Dupont-Hadley Middle School in Nashville for his project on “The Parthenon and the Debate over the Elgin Marbles.” Teacher: Kristin Baese.
3rd place to Vivian O’Brien of Montgomery Central Middle School in Cunningham, TN for her project on “James K. Polk and the Annexation of Texas.” Teacher: Laura Hoffman.
Junior Group Website
1st place to Lyndsey Lanham and Jade Plemons of Vonore Middle School for their project on “The Indian Removal Act: White Man’s Step Toward Diplomacy Led to Cherokee Trail of Tears.” Teacher: Joan McFall.
2nd place to Emma Donnelly-Bullington, Elexis Houston, and Shalonda Valentine of Snowden School in Memphis for their project on “Tinker vs. Des Moines.” Teacher: April Inman.
3rd place Samuel Boehms, Akasha Patel, Christian Bricker, Ben Munoz, and David Zhang of Rossview Middle School in Clarksville for their project on “A Fatal Ruling.”
Teacher: Cindy Giles.
Junior Individual Paper
1st place and the Dr. Ruben Brooks Award goes to Luke Daniel of Sunbright School for his project on “State of Franklin: Successes, Failures, Consequences.” Teacher: Debbie Slack.
2nd place to Emily Galyon of Concord Christian School in Knoxville for her project on “The Bill of Rights: Enumeration to Protect or to Limit Liberty.” Teacher: Tammy Lightholder.
3rd place to Abbey Huber of Greenway School in Knoxville for her project on “From Congress to the Trail: The Debate on Cherokee Removal.” Teacher: Lynne Mullins.
Senior Individual Exhibit
1st place to Nicholas Russell of Farragut High School for his project on “Dismantling an Empire.” Teacher: Angela Breeding.
2nd place to Amy Prosise of Farragut High School for her project on “Mightier than the Sword: The Letter that Changed History.” Teacher: Angela Breeding.
3rd place to Sarah Smith of West Greene High School in Mosheim for her project on “The Debate of the Ratification of the Constitution: Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists.”
Teacher: Daniel Thompson.
Senior Group Exhibit
1st place to Frances Garcia, Nicholas Dueber, Fadi Saleh, and Bethany VanHooser of Tennessee Governor’s Academy in Knoxville for their project on “The Sword and the Shield: U.S. Diplomacy in the Israeli-Palestian Conflict. Teacher: Patricia Brake Rutenberg.
2nd place to Benjamin Riley and Jordan Roach of McMinn Central High School in Etowah for their project on “XYZ Affair.” Teacher: Teri Blair.
3rd place to Christina McAlaster, Eddie Huckabee, Alli McCommon, Jesse Simpson, and Alexandra Boyd of First Assembly Christian School in Cordova for their project on
“ ‘The Enigma of LUCY’: Britain’s Blind Diplomacy or Germany’s Internal Debate?” Teacher: Scott Johnson.
Senior Individual Documentary
1st place to Vivian Hugbanks of The Woodbine School in Signal Mountain for her project on “No One Wanted Us: The Tragic Voyage of the SS St. Louis.” Teacher: Sue Hugbanks.
2nd place to Emma Grace Thompson of Berean Christian School in Knoxville for her project on “The Consequences of Closure: The Role of Fort Armistead in the Debate of Indian Removal.” Teacher: Sharron Thompson.
3rd place to Kym Matthews of Polk County High School in Benton for her project on “The Cherokee Nation: The Debate and Removal.” Teacher: Dewey Esquinance.
Senior Group Documentary
1st place to Derek Roberts and William Burdette of Polk County High School in Benton for their project on “The Good Government League: Debate and Diplomacy After World War II.” Teacher: Dewey Esquinance.
2nd place to Maranda Vandergriff, Elisa Vandergriff, Lydia Taylor, and Emily Hartley of Berean Christian School in Knoxville for their project on “War of the Roses: Ratification of the 19th Amendment.” Teacher: Katie Vandergriff.
3rd place to Caroline and Meg Hall of Lebanon High School for their project on “Pearl Harbor: A Debate in Diplomacy.” Teacher: Andrea Morris.
Senior Individual Website
1st place to Lauren Chambliss of West High School in Knoxville for her project on “Prohibition.” Teacher: Candace Greer and Michelle Youngquist.
2nd place to Elizabeth Jones of Lebanon High School for her project on “The Treaty of Non-Aggression Between Germany and the Soviet Union.” Teacher: Andrea Morris.
3rd place to Brooke Griffin of Watertown High School for her project on “Slavery.” Teacher: Virginia Laudeman.
Senior Group Website
1st place to Brittany Shafer and Joshua Burton, homeschool students in Knoxville, for their project on “The Suez Crisis.” Teacher: Meryl van der Merwe.
2nd place to Austin Bow, Jake Choi, Chris Davis, and Tony Tang of the Tennessee Governor’s Academy in Knoxville for their project on “Drafting Peace: U.S.- Russian Nuclear Diplomacy.” Teacher: Patricia Brake Rutenberg.
3rd place to Eliana Garcete, Sheridan Cross, and Lynecia Christion of First Assembly Christian School in Cordova for their project on “Suffrage is the Pivotal Right: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women’s Right to Vote.” Teacher: Scott Johnson.
Senior Individual Paper
1st place and the Dr. Sam B. Smith Award to Lindsey Khim of University School of Nashville for her project on “Andrew Jackson’s Deliberate Failure to Act.” Teacher: Patricia Miletich.
2nd place to Sarah Hanks of University School of Nashville for her project on “The Iran-Contra Affair: The Congressional Response to a Foreign Policy Crisis.” Teacher: Patricia Miletich.
3rd place to Ruth Simberloff of West High School in Knoxville for her project on “Darwin v. Creationism: The Scopes Trial and its Consequences.” Teacher: Candace Greer.”
Senior Individual Performance
1st place to Marissa Mitchell of Tennessee Governor’s Academy in Knoxville for her project on “La Belle Rebelle: Belle Boyd, Covert Diplomat.” Teacher: Patricia Brake Rutenberg.
2nd place to Ben McDonald of Campbell County Comprehensive High School in Jacksboro for his project on “Texas: American or Mexican.” Teacher: Darrell Vandergriff.
3rd place to Caleb Rittenhouse of Concord Christian School in Knoxville for his project on “The Secession of the Confederate States: Successes, Failures, and Consequences.”
Teacher: Tammy Lightholder.
Senior Group Performance
1st place to Shareeda Van Straaten, Stephen Bond, Adam Johnson, and Josh Dodd of Watertown High School for their project on “Phillip Randolph: Challenging Roosevelt.”
Teacher: Virginia Laudeman.