Dozens Of Tennessee Student Scholars Advance To National History Day Competition

  • Wednesday, April 17, 2019

After competing against approximately 8,300 students from across the state, 68 winners will represent Tennessee in the final stage of competition at National History Day (NHD) this summer. Advancing students placed first or second in their categories at Tennessee History Day on Saturday, April 13.

Participants entered documentaries, exhibits, performances, websites and papers all based on this year’s theme, “Triumph and Tragedy in History.” Out of 162 submitted projects, 102 students received medals for their efforts, 20 students were awarded special prizes and two teachers were recognized as educators of the year. 

“I’m delighted to see 68 of Tennessee’s brightest students advance to compete at National History Day,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said.

“Their participation encourages the study of local and national history and helps them engage in important societal topics that have shaped our state and country. I’m proud to support this program and wish participants luck as they take the national stage this summer."

NHD will take place June 9-13 on the University of Maryland campus in College Park, Md. where top finishers will earn prestigious awards and scholarships.

“We’ve seen the students challenge themselves this year,” Tennessee History Day coordinator Jennifer C. Core said. “They’ve tackled difficult subjects, such as genocide and natural disasters, and explored great victories throughout history. They’ve learned to examine primary sources critically and how to conduct themselves in interviews with the judges.”

The Tennessee Historical Society has sponsored Tennessee History Day since 2009 with grant support from the Secretary of State’s office, Humanities Tennessee, the Memorial Foundation and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. For more information, visit http://www.tennesseehistory.org/tennessee-history-day/.

Award winners from Saturday's Tennessee History Day:

CATEGORY AWARD WINNERS
JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARY
1st
Muhammad Ali: Triumph Over Tragedy
Sam McNeal
Clayton-Bradley Academy, Maryville, Blount County
Educator: Liz Shugart

2nd
Holding the Line: America’s Triumph at the Battle of the Bulge
Thomas Mann
Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, Montgomery County
Educator: Aimee Hoffman

3rd
The Atomic Bomb
Emma Abart
Grace Christian Academy, Franklin, Williamson County
Educator: Bruce Anliker

JUNIOR GROUP DOCUMENTARY
1st
The Malaria Project: The Secret Triumph and Tragedy of Modern Medicine
Sophie Anderson, Piper Greene
Clayton-Bradley Academy, Maryville, Blount County
Educators: Nicole Whitecotton, Liz Shugart

2nd
The Triumph and Tragedy of the Memphis Sanitation Strike
Tanoah Champion, Naomi Bucio
Memphis Rise Academy, Memphis, Shelby County
Educator: Caitlin McElligott

3rd
Harry T. Moore: A Civil Rights Activist Lost to Tragedy
Destiny Gonzalez, Amanda Torres,
Gabrielle Pearson
Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, Montgomery County
Educator: Ryan Darling

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL EXHIBIT
1st
Suffering for Suffrage
Melanie Band
Clayton-Bradley Academy, Maryville, Blount County
Educator: Nicole Whitecotton

2nd
Civil War Medicine: The Advancements Ignited by Tragedy
Catherine Drake
Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, Montgomery County
Educator: Aimee Hoffman

3rd
Cornelia Fort: Patriot of the Skies
Brooke Rasnick
Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, Montgomery County
Educator: Whitney Joyner

JUNIOR GROUP EXHIBIT

1st
“Think of Me” Finding Triumph in the Tragic Journey of Mental Illness in America
Lawrence Mancini, Macy Jackson, Layla Bowman
Clayton-Bradley Academy, Maryville, Blount County
Educator: Nicole Whitecotton

2nd
A Walk of Faith: The Clinton 12
Annabelle Lesch, Syler Lindsey, Savannah Ward, Samuel Ward
Oak Grove Homeschool Cooperative, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Aimee Ward

3rd
Polio and the Vaccine
Aubrynn Hughes, Maya Abdelhalim
Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, Montgomery County
Educator: Ryan Darling

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE
1st
Alice Paul and the Nineteenth Amendment
Mackenzie Egan
West Wilson Middle School, Mount Juliet, Wilson County
Educator: Amy Wilken

2nd
Tennessee Coal Creek War
Nia Yusuf
Pleasant View School, Memphis, Shelby County
Educator: Calvin Shaw

3rd
Elvis Presley, The Rise and Fall of a Legend
Ethan Elder
STEM Co-Op, Maryville, Blount County
Educator: Allison Elder


JUNIOR GROUP PERFORMANCE
1st
The Atomic Quandary
Hayley Mcmanic, Malaika Kumar, Risha Manga, Dany Hamze, Nikhita Srinivas
Lausanne Collegiate School, Memphis, Shelby County
Educator: Catherine Hammons

2nd
Hidden Within: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Culper Spy Ring
Luke Hutchinson, Liam Garris, Ian Boghani
Clayton-Bradley Academy, Maryville, Blount County
Educator: Nicole Whitecotton

3rd
Winter at Valley Forge
Hannah Hill, Katie Wilhoit, Lucia Gordon, Alana Johnson
Bearden Middle School, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Maureen Schenk

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL WEBSITE
1st
Pick Your Poison: The Triumph and Tragedy of DDT
Zaheen Chowdhury
Pleasant View School, Memphis, Shelby County
Educator: Andre Clarke

2nd
Columbus and the Taino: The Discovery that Led to a Tragedy
Nashla Rodriguez Moncion
Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, Montgomery County
Educator: Aimee Hoffman

3rd
What Comes from Absence: The Effect of Nazi Art Plunder in WWII
William Severn
Siegel Middle School, Murfreesboro, Rutherford County
Educator: Patricia Long-Lee

JUNIOR GROUP WEBSITE
1st
The Apollo Missions: Triumphs and Tragedies that Sparked Greatness
Kaleb Batista, Gideon Hoffman, Nevaeh Johnson
Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, Montgomery County
Educator: Aimee Hoffman

2nd
The Tragedy of Mary I
Sophia Stone, Mayyadah Alzaben
St Georges Independent School, Collierville, Shelby County
Educator: Traci Erlandson

3rd
Triumph and Tragedy of the Atomic Bomb
Julia Angerer, Keira McConville
St John Neumann Catholic School, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Michele Tarricone


JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL PAPER
1st
The Election of 1828: Political Triumph Leads to Personal Tragedy
Rowan Carey
Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, Montgomery County
Educator: Aimee Hoffman

2nd
From Tiananmen Square to the International Stage: The Heroic Activism of Dr. Yang Jianli
Lily Sousa
Siegel Middle School, Murfreesboro, Rutherford County
Educator: Patricia Long-Lee

3rd
The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Gwangju Uprising in South Korea
Stephanie Cho
West Valley Middle School, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Karen Peterman

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARY
1st
The Secret City’s Deadly Secret
Eli Thompson
Berean Christian High School ISP, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Sharron Thompson

2nd
Guernica: Between the Canvas and the Catastrophe
Katherine Chen
Farragut High School, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Angela Breeding

3rd
Scribes of Truth: Writing Historical Tragedy into Political Triumph in the Progressive Era
Lenora Upchurch
Watertown High School, Lebanon, Wilson County
Educator: Barbara Marks

SENIOR GROUP DOCUMENTARY
1st
“For I Was Dying”: The Triumph and Tragedy of Ms. Eula Hall
Shelby McNeal, Tate Greene
Clayton-Bradley Academy, Maryville, Blount County
Educator: Liz Shugart

2nd
X Marks the Spot: The Rosalind Franklin Story
Riley Whitecotton, Francisco Camacho
Clayton-Bradley Academy, Maryville, Blount County
Educator: Liz Shugart

3rd
From the Ashes of the Fire: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Merritt Kelley, Cara Paty, Liza Rogers
Girls Preparatory School, Chattanooga, Hamilton County
Educator: Caroline Carlin

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL EXHIBIT
1st
The Iran Hostage Crisis
Sarah Qadhi
Pleasant View School, Memphis, Shelby County
Educator: Calvin Shaw

2nd
“Forgotten by Many, Remembered by Few”: The Tragedy and Triumph of the S.S. Leopoldville
Ashlynn Malone
Sevier County High School, Sevierville, Sevier County
Educator: Rebecca Byrd

3rd
All Aboard From Asia to America: Chinese Immigrants And The First Transcontinental Railroad
Betty Gong
Battle Ground Academy, Franklin, Williamson County
Educator: Alana Gilmore

SENIOR GROUP EXHIBIT
1st
Unite to Do What’s Right: The Triumph of the Danish Resistance
Kaylei Malone, Haylin Ownby
Sevier County High School, Sevierville, Sevier County
Educator: Rebecca Byrd

2nd
Willowbrook State School: The “Snakepit” that Shocked a Nation into Reform
Sophia Hall, Narisa Naidoo, Alicia Dinwiddie
Summit High School, Spring Hill, Williamson County
Educator: Jackie Zigelsky

3rd
Fever Season: The Tragic Role Yellow Fever played in the
Triumph of Public Health Reform in Memphis, 1878
Tia Dyson, Artrianna Freeman
Memphis Rise Academy, Memphis, Shelby County
Educator: Caitlin McElligott

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE
1st
X Girls: the Triumphs and Tragedies of Clinton Engineer Works’ Lady Labourers
Arabella Sarver
Cross Creek Christian School, Sweetwater, Monroe County
Educator: Tammy Sarver

2nd
Le Fantôme de Olympe: The Enlightenment and the Terror
Reece Brown
L&N STEM Academy, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Jill Robbins

3rd
The Kirov Assassination: The Tragic Story of Stalin’s Triumph
Angelina Ivanova
Franklin High School, Franklin, Williamson County
Educator: Ray Scheetz

SENIOR GROUP PERFORMANCE
1st
The Women of the Secret City: One Calutron Girl’s Story of the Manhattan Project
Jad Hamze, Dalia Chemaitilly, Cailin Brown, Ali Devji, Isabel Kagoo
Lausanne Collegiate School, Memphis, Shelby County
Educator: Rebecca Hodges

2nd
The McGavocks: Veneration of the Confederation
Elijah Sammons, Rylan Vickers, Isaac Sammons, Kainan Johnson, Kaley Hunter
HUB Homeschool Co-Op, Summertown, Lawrence County
Educator: Tammy L. Vickers

3rd
No Irish Need Apply
Pi Eager, Harrison Darby, Cole Christensen
McCallie School, Chattanooga, Hamilton County
Educator: Duke Richey

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL WEBSITE
1st
Holding Back the Waters: The Tennessee Valley Authority Act
Olivia Sharp
L&N STEM Academy, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Derek Griffin

2nd
From the Met to the Marne: The Development and Application of American Armor During the Great War
Gus Buck
McCallie School, Chattanooga, Hamilton County
Educator: Duke Richey

3rd
Algeria’s Fight Against French Imperialism
Wissal Boudaoud
Pleasant View School, Memphis, Shelby County
Educator: Calvin Shaw

SENIOR GROUP WEBSITE
1st
Cracking Enigma: Tragic Cost of Triumph
Naisha Chowdhury, Manal Aboushala
Pleasant View School, Memphis, Shelby County
Educator: Andre Clarke

2nd
The Scilly Naval Disaster of 1707: The Tragedy that Revolutioned Sea Navigation
Jiarui Han, Yuxuan Zhang, Claudia Levi
Farragut High School, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Angela Breeding

3rd
Down in New Orleans: The New Orleans School Crisis of the 1960s
Varsha Babu, Ariane Burt, Ashley Dai, Alice Zhang
Farragut High School, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Angela Breeding

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL PAPER
1st
The My Lai Massacre: the Tragedy and Its Triumphs
Rena Liu
Farragut High School, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Angela Breeding

2nd
The Freedmen’s Bureau and the Ku-Klux Klan
Andrei Gaylord
Gaylord Homeschool, Brentwood, Williamson County
Educator: James Gaylord

3rd
Triumph Topped Tragedy: The Gubernatorial Legacy of Tennessee’s Frank Goad Clement During the First Public High School Integration in the South
Eden Carnes
Disco Institute, Friendsville, Blount County
Educator: Elithe Carnes

SPECIAL AWARD WINNERS
BEST PROJECT IN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY, JUNIOR DIVISION:
Junior Individual Website
Kelly v. Board of Education: A Triumph for the System but a Tragedy for the Children Involved
Abbey Vincent
St Georges Independent School, Germantown, Shelby County
Educator: Traci Erlandson

BEST PROJECT IN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY, SENIOR DIVISION:
Senior Group Website
Down in New Orleans: The New Orleans School Crisis of the 1960s
Varsha Babu, Ariane Burt, Ashley Dai, Alice Zhang
Farragut High School, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Angela Breeding

BEST PROJECT IN TENNESSEE HISTORY, JUNIOR DIVISION:
Junior Group Exhibit
A Walk of Faith: The Clinton 12
Annabelle Lesch, Syler Lindsey, Savannah Ward, Samuel Ward
Oak Grove Homeschool Cooperative, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Aimee Ward

BEST PROJECT IN TENNESSEE HISTORY, SENIOR DIVISION:
Senior Individual Paper
The Environmental Tragedy of Chattanooga Creek: The Superfund Sites that Prompted a Social Triumph in Tennessee
Matthew Merritt
McCallie School, Chattanooga, Hamilton County
Educator: Duke Richey

MARGARET LINDSLEY WARDEN PRIZE FOR BEST PROJECT IN WOMEN'S HISTORY, JUNIOR DIVISION:
Junior Group Performance
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911: Rising from the Ashes into Improved Labor Regulations and Working Conditions
Emily Barnes, Gauri Adarsh
Sunset Middle School,Brentwood, Williamson County
Educator: Leah Jones

MARGARET LINDSLEY WARDEN PRIZE FOR BEST PROJECT IN WOMEN'S HISTORY, SENIOR DIVISION:
Senior Group Documentary
X Marks the Spot: The Rosalind Franklin Story
Riley Whitecotton, Francisco Camacho
Clayton-Bradley Academy, Maryville, Blount County
Educator: Liz Shugart

SOCIETY OF TENNESSEE ARCHIVISTS AWARD FOR ARCHIVAL RESEARCH, JUNIOR DIVISION:
Junior Group Exhibit
Lawrence Mancini, Macy Jackson, Layla Bowman
Clayton-Bradley Academy, Maryville, Blount County
Educator: Nicole Whitecotton

SOCIETY OF TENNESSEE ARCHIVISTS AWARD FOR ARCHIVAL RESEARCH, SENIOR DIVISION:
Senior Individual Paper
Triumph Topped Tragedy: The Gubernatorial Legacy of Tennessee’s Frank Goad Clement During the First Public High School Integration in the South
Eden Carnes
Disco Institute, Friendsville, Blount County
Educator: Elithe Carnes

THE AGE OF JACKSON AWARD:
Junior Individual Paper
The Election of 1828: Political Triumph Leads to Personal Tragedy
Rowan Carey
Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, Montgomery County
Educator: Aimee Hoffman

MITCHELL MIELNIK MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR THE BEST PROJECT IN SPORTS, RECREATION, OR THE ENVIRONMENT:
Senior Individual Paper
The Environmental Tragedy of Chattanooga Creek: The Superfund Sites that Prompted a Social Triumph in Tennessee
Matthew Merritt
McCallie School, Chattanooga, Hamilton County
Educator: Duke Richey

ORAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION AWARD:
Senior Individual Documentary
The Secret City’s Deadly Secret
Eli Thompson
Berean Christian High School ISP, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Sharron Thompson

EDUATOR OF THE YEAR, JUNIOR DIVISION:
Debbie Slack, Morgan County Schools, Wartburg

EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR, SENIOR DIVISION:
Rachel Frazier, Lenoir City High School, Lenoir City
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