McCallie history students and Dr. Duke Richey '86 celebrate after a successful day at the National History Day district competition in Cleveland
Months of hard work and research paid off for several history students who found success at the regional competition for National History Day.
McCallie had a strong showing at the contest in Cleveland, with 15 students advancing to the state competition. For the third consecutive year, McCallie students swept all three spots in the essay competition.
Students competing in National History Day have been working with Dr. Duke Richey ‘86 for most of the school year on their projects, based on this year’s theme of "Taking a Stand.” The top two finishers in each category now move on to compete at the state level in Nashville on April 9, with the top two in each category at state moving on to the national competition, which will be held in Washington, D.C., this summer.
McCallie’s first place finishers are:
Walt Buzzini, Individual Performance, "Ralph McGill: Taking a Stand in the Segregated South."
Joseph Richard, Paper, "Thy Will Be Done: Clergy, Napalm, and the War in Vietnam."
Griffin Ball, Individual Documentary Film, "Comeback City: Chattanoogans Taking a Stand for a Cleaner, Better City."
Duke Richey, Individual Exhibit, "Still Standing: Rex Richey and the Fight Against Bootlegging in Tennessee."
Ben Smith, Individual Website, "Standing in Fire: Self-Immolation Protests and the Vietnam War."
Parker Norton and Rohan Gupta, Group Exhibit, "'I'll Take My Stand'": The Agrarians and Anti-Modernism in the American South."
Dawson Yates, John Knox, and Josh Martin, Group Performance, "Osceola: An American Freedom Fighter Makes a Stand"
Second place finishers are:
Trey Sprouse, Paper, "Coming Out: Recognizing the Voice of American Homosexuals."
Grant Smith, Individual Documentary Film, "The East Tennessee Bridge Burners: Lincolnites Taking a Stand."
Arthur Lebovitz, Individual Performance, "Pete Seeger: The Power of Folk Music."
Will Klein and Emerson Wright, Group Exhibit, "Coal Operators and Evicted Miners in the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek Coal Strike of 1912."
National History Day is an academic program for students in grades 6-12. Students select a topic, conduct extensive primary and secondary research, and analyze and interpret their conclusions. They can choose to present their work through a website, exhibit, performance, documentary, or original paper.