At the State National History Day competition in Nashville, Gus Buck, right, qualified for the national competition this summer. Matthew Merritt, left, was honored for the best project on Tennessee history.
McCallie junior Gus Buck’s National History Day project performed well at the state competition in Nashville and will be competing at nationals this summer. In addition, junior Matthew Merritt was honored with two special awards for his project.
Buck’s website “From the Met to the Marne: The Development and Application of American Armor During the Great War” finished second in the senior division of the individual website category and qualifies him for nationals. Buck will present his work at nationals June 9-13 at the University of Maryland.
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.
In addition to Buck’s strong showing, junior Merritt’s individual paper, “The Environmental Tragedy of Chattanooga Creek: The Superfund Sites that Prompted a Social Triumph in Tennessee” was honored by judges as the senior division’s Best Project in Tennessee History and won the Mitchell Mielnik Memorial Prize for the best project in sports, recreation or the environment.
The McCallie team of Pi Eager, Harrison Darby and Cole Christensen finished third in Senior Group Performance for “No Irish Need Apply” and are alternates for the national competition.
McCallie’s National History Day, organized and overseen by Howard Baker ‘43 Chair of American History Dr. Duke Richey, had an especially strong showing in the regional competition with 16 projects by McCallie upper and middle school students qualifying for state.