Tennessee History Day Winners Qualify For National Competition

History Day is an event in which students in grades six through 12 present history-themed projects in a variety of formats – including museum-style exhibits, research papers, web sites, documentaries and live performances.

About 5,000 Tennessee students participated in competitions held at their schools this year. The students judged best in those competitions advanced to one of six regional events held around the state. The winners from the regionals advanced to the statewide competition, which was held at various locations in downtown Nashville.

The first- and second-place finishers at the statewide competition are now eligible to participate in National History Day, which will be held on the campus of the University of Maryland June 10-14.

“I’m very excited for the students who will be advancing to the national competition in Maryland,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. “They will represent our state well and I expect them to bring some medals home with them. I congratulate them and all of the other young people who participated in History Day this year. History Day not only helps generate interest in an important academic subject, but it also helps participants become better students and better citizens.”

“I’m excited to see the quality of the projects submitted,” said statewide coordinator Jennifer C. Core. “The students have the opportunity at each level of competition – local, district, and state – to revise their entries based on the judges’ feedback. Competitors learn that historical research is an ongoing process. Between now and June, our finalists will be visiting archives to supplement their research, proofreading their papers, and practicing their interview questions in an effort to improve what are already excellent entries.”

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 207 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 or contact Jennifer Core, History Day’s statewide coordinator, at (615) 741-8934 or via e-mail at historyday@tennesseehistory.org.

 

Saturday's Winners Were:

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARY:

Third Place
Title: Rosa Parks: Staying Seated to Take a Stand
Student: Vikka Schweer
School: Franklin High School, Franklin, TN
Teacher(s): Casie Gaebler

Second Place
Title: Coco Chanel and the 1920's Fashion Revolution
Student: Emma Koeppen
School: West High School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Candace Greer

First Place
Title: Persecuted, but Not Forsaken: The Lavrinenko Family's Reaction to the Communist Revolution
Student: Emma Thompson
School: Berean Christian School Isp, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Sharron Thompson

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARY:

Third Place
Title: The Desegregation of the University of Tennessee: A Process that Revolutionized History
Student: Colby Kuhn
School: Concord Christian School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Tammy Lightholder

Second Place
Title: Subsistence Homesteads: Reforming a Nation by Revolutionizing Communities
Student: William Seth Eckelson
School: Pine View Elementary, Rockwood, TN
Teacher(s): Rachel Eckelson

First Place
Title: The Polio Revolution: A Tale of Two Heroes
Student: Emily Burkhead
School: Snowden School, Memphis, TN
Teacher(s): April Inman

SENIOR GROUP DOCUMENTARY:

Third Place
Title: Chinese in the Mississippi Delta
Students: Lisa Ong, Katelyn Frierott
School: St. Benedict at Auburndale, Cordova, TN
Teacher(s): Kristen Browning

Second Place
Title: The Battle of Athens: A Revolution, Reaction & Reform in 1940's Politics
Students: Tucker Beard, Brandon Cummings, Trace Kerns
School: Polk County High School, Benton, TN
Teacher(s): Dewey Esquinance

First Place
Title: Coal Creek Wars: Revolution in the Mines
Students: Maranda Vandergriff, Elisa Vandergriff
School: Berean Christian School Isp, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Katie Vandergriff

JUNIOR GROUP DOCUMENTARY:

Third Place
Title: The Watergate Trial: A Trial to Remember
Students: Julianna Foster, Olivia Phillips, Rida Khan
School: Meigs Magnet Middle School, Nashville, TN
Teacher(s): Jamie Schimenti, Lisa Bucchino

Second Place
Title: Beating the Bloodhound Law: American Reaction to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
Students: Nic Savage, Jordan Blades
School: Siegel Middle School, Murfreesboro, TN
Teacher(s): Heather Warmuth, Sonya Cox

First Place
Title: America's Reaction to the Rock n' Roll Revolution's Reform of the Music Industry
Students: Alyssa Cutshaw, Victoria Kinsey
School: Pine View Elementary, Rockwood, TN
Teacher(s): Rachel Eckelson

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL EXHIBIT:

Third Place
Title: A Revolution in Warfare: The Airplane in World War I
Student: Mary Hill
School: Independence High School, Franklin, TN
Teacher(s): Jenifer Wheeler

Second Place
Title: Antibiotics: A Revolution in Modern Medicine
Student: Emily Grayson
School: Independence High School, Franklin, TN
Teacher(s): Jenifer Wheeler

First Place
Title: Misled and Misunderstood: Revolution of the Appalachian Life
Student: Jonathan Thomas
School: van der Merwe Homeschool, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Meryl van der Merwe

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL EXHIBIT:

Third Place
Title: Exploration of Space: A Dream Becomes History
Student: Alyssa Neuhoff
School: Walden Home School, Signal Mountain, TN
Teacher(s): Linda Neuhoff

Second Place
Title: The Polio Vaccine: A Revolution from the Polio Epidemic
Student: Mallory Uphoff
School: Greenway School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Lynne Mullins, Liz Shugart

First Place
Title: Prohibition
Student: Sterling Fisher
School: Pi Beta Phi Elementary, Gatlinburg, TN
Teacher(s): Cindy Flynn

SENIOR GROUP EXHIBIT:

Third Place
Title: A Revolution in Medicine: The Polio Vaccine
Students: Haven Poore, Naomi Derksen, Quinn Curtis, Olivia Seay
School: Independence High School, Franklin, TN
Teacher(s): Jenifer Wheeler

Second Place
Title: Ignition of a Revolution
Students: Rebecca Derby, Rachel Emond
School: Sevier County High School, Sevierville, TN
Teacher(s): Jeffrey Williams

First Place
Title: "The Beautiful and the Damned": The Flapper Cultural Revolution
Students: Marisa Rozzi, Rishika Singh, Rebecca Zielinski
School: Lausanne Collegiate School, Memphis, TN
Teacher(s): Dr. Scott Johnson

JUNIOR GROUP EXHIBIT:

Third Place
Title: Wright to Modern Flight: The Revolution of Commercial Aviation
Students: Curtis Clark, Nicholas Keesler, Adam Crutcher, Sean Goggin
School: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teacher(s): Whitney Joyner

Second Place
Title: The Pedro Pan Flights: Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution
Students: Lauren Ramos, Sophia Rosenzweig
School: St. John Neumann School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Vicki Sporsen

First Place
Title: Self Service Revolution: Piggly Wiggly Reforms American Shopping
Students: Luke Daniel, Levi Daniel, Caleb Hawn
School: Sunbright School, Sunbright, TN
Teacher(s): Debbie Slack

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE:

Third Place
Title: Mikhail Baryshnikov Continues the Evolution of Dance
Student: Bernadette Turnage
School: Valley Academy, Goodlettsville, TN
Teacher(s): Laurale Curtsinger

Second Place
Title: Heart of an Appalachian Woman
Student: Ashleanne Zachary
School: First Baptist Academy, Powell, TN
Teacher(s): Darrell Vandergriff

First Place
Title: I Refuse to be Treated like a White Woman
Student: Brandie McConkey
School: Sequoyah High School, Madisonville, TN
Teacher(s): Lance McConkey

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE:

Third Place
Title: Martin Luther and His Wife
Student: Lydia Barbour
School: First Baptist Academy, Powell, TN
Teacher(s): Darrell Vandergriff

Second Place
Title: Jane Addams, Patron Saint of Chicago: A Revolutionary Reformer
Student: Emma McLeod
School: Greenway School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Lynne Mullins

First Place
Title: Diane Nash: Reforming Discrimination in Nashville, TN
Student: La'Charsha Ward
School: John Early Museum Magnet Middle School, Nashville, TN
Teacher(s): Katherine Hardwick, Kristina Deal, Tara Mielnik

SENIOR GROUP PERFORMANCE:

Second Place
Title: Vietnam: Reactions to the War
Students: Kathryn King, Kenneth Shoffner, Joshua Tharpe, Mark Kitts
School: Union County High School, Maynardville, TN
Teacher(s): Joel Collins

First Place
Title: Huey Long: The Reformist with Revolutionary Ideas
Students: Chris Livingston, Johnathan Jones
School: Meigs County High School, Decatur, TN
Teacher(s): Lee Ann Cross

JUNIOR GROUP PERFORMANCE:

Third Place
Title: A Fight For Equality
Students: Maddux Southerland, Ashely Moore, Brittany Everhart, Hana Auchterlonie
School: Mosheim Middle School, Mosheim, TN
Teacher(s): Doug Lafollette

Second Place
Title: A State in Chaos; A Family in Two
Students: Emily Ritchart, John Courson, Jake Kolaski, Sidney McCarty, Cherie Saffold
School: Richview Middle School, Clarksville, TN
Teacher(s): Tabitha Wilson

First Place
Title: Andrew Johnson's Reaction to the Reform of Reconstruction
Students: Allyson Neal, Tyler Beichler
School: First Baptist Academy, Powell, TN
Teacher(s): Darrell Vandergriff

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL WEBSITE:

Third Place
Title: Women on the Homefront: World War II
Students: Anna Burkhart
School: West High School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Candace Greer

Second Place
Title: Jim Crow: Face of Hate
Student: Wesley Harris
School: South Greene High School, Greeneville, TN
Teacher(s): Noelle Smith

First Place
Title: The Revolutionary Decision Which Sparked a Skeptical Reaction and the Landmark Surgery Which Made Ephraim McDowell The Father of Ovariotomy
Student: Brittany Wilharm
School: Homeschool - Wilharm, Springfield, TN
Teacher(s): Sharon Wilharm

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL WEBSITE:

Third Place
Title: Putting the Cold War on Ice
Student: Mitchell Mielnik
School: John Early Museum Magnet Middle School, Nashville, TN
Teacher(s): Katherine Hardwick, Kristina Deal, Tara Mielnik

Second Place
Title: The Reform of the Tennessee Walking Horse
Student: Hadley Peters
School: Concord Christian School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Tammy Lightholder

First Place
Title: Manga After the Atomic Bomb
Student: Lane Crouse-Helford
School: Siegel Middle School, Murfreesboro, TN
Teacher(s): Heather Warmuth, Sonya Cox

SENIOR GROUP WEBSITE:

Third Place
Title: The Space Race
Students: Henry Evetts, Kyle Van Hoek
School: St. Benedict at Auburndale, Cordova, TN
Teacher(s): Mark McDonald

Second Place
Title: The Women's Movement: The Suffrage Revolution
Students: Allie McNamara, Katherine Wein, Dakota Bailey, Ashley Koehler, Katie Akin
School: St. Benedict at Auburndale, Cordova, TN
Teacher(s): Kristen Browning

First Place
Title: A Revolution of Quantum Proportions
Students: Joshua Burton, Daniel van der Merwe
School: van der Merwe Homeschool, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Meryl van der Merwe

JUNIOR GROUP WEBSITE:

Third Place
Title: Elizabeth Blackwell: A True Doctor
Students: Kaleabe Truneh, Maryam Yousef, Nadiya Navas
School: Meigs Magnet Middle School, Nashville, TN
Teacher(s): Jamie Schimenti, Lisa Bucchino

Second Place
Title: Invention of the Microwave Oven: A Revolution for Cooking
Students: Amy van der Merwe, Joy Marshall
School: van der Merwe Homeschool, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Meryl van der Merwe

First Place
Title: Agents of Destruction: The Revolution of Chemical Warfare
Students: Jackson Arnold, Ethan Huskey
School: New Center Elementary, Sevierville, TN
Teacher(s): Christy Valentine

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL PAPER:

Third Place
Title: From Rags to Jazz: How James Reese Europe Helped Kick-Start the Jazz Revolution
Student: Angela Henderson,
School: University School of Nashville, Nashville, TN
Teacher(s): Patricia Miletich

Second Place
Title: "The Country Needed Men": The Story of Female Soldiers during the Civil War
Student: Olivia Brown
School: University School of Nashville, Nashville, TN
Teacher(s): Patricia Miletich

First Place
Title: The Overmountain Men
Student: Jacob Taylor
School: Taylor Homeschool, Greeneville, Greeneville, TN
Teacher(s): Ramona Taylor

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL PAPER:

Third Place
Title: Revolution, Reaction, Reform: The Transformation of a Town Called Wheat
Student: Sarah Littleton
School: Concord Christian School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Tammy Lightholder

Second Place
Title: The Clinton Twelve: Reaction to Reform and Revolution
Student: Taya Smith
School: Petros Joyner Elementary, Oliver Springs, TN
Teacher(s): Debbie Slack

First Place
Title: For Our Will Wimbles and Tom Browns: Rugby, Tennessee, a Failed Revolution
Student: Abbey Huber
School: Greenway School, Knoxville, TN
Teacher(s): Lynne Mullins, Liz Shugart

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SPECIAL AWARD WINNERS
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Sequoyah Award
Brandie McConkey (School: Sequoyah High School, Madisonville, TN)

The Company of Military Historians Award for the Best Project in Military History, Junior Division:
Jackson Arnold & Ethan Huskey (School: New Center Elementary, Sevierville, TN)

The Company of Military Historians Award for the Best Project in Military History, Senior Division:
Jacob Taylor (School: Taylor Homeschool, Greeneville, Greeneville, TN)

Margaret Lindsley Warden Prize for Best Project in Women's History, Junior Division:
Maddux Southerland & Ashely Moore & Brittany Everhart & Hana Auchterlonie (School: Mosheim Middle School, Mosheim, TN)

Margaret Lindsley Warden Prize for Best Project in Women's History, Senior Division:
Marisa Rozzi & Rishika Singh & Rebecca Zielinski (School: Lausanne Collegiate School, Memphis, TN)

Tennessee Historical Society Prize for Best Project in Tennessee History, Junior Division:
William Seth Eckelson (School: Pine View Elementary, Rockwood, TN)

Tennessee Historical Society Prize for Best Project in Tennessee History, Senior Division:
Maranda Vandergriff & Elisa Vandergriff (School: Berean Christian School Isp, Knoxville, TN)

Tennessee Historical Society Prize for The Best Project in African-American History, Junior Division:
Lauren Curtsinger & Mary Turnage (School: Valley Academy, Goodlettsville, TN)

Tennessee Historical Society Prize for The Best Project in African-American History, Senior Division:
Wesley Harris (School: South Greene High School, Greeneville, TN)

Society of Tennessee Archivists Award for Archival Research, Junior Division:
William Seth Eckelson (School: Pine View Elementary, Rockwood, TN)

Society of Tennessee Archivists Award for Archival Research, Senior Division:
Maranda Vandergriff & Elisa Vandergriff (School: Berean Christian School Isp, Knoxville, TN)

Dr. Ruben Brooks Award, Best Research Paper, Junior Division
Abbey Huber (School: Greenway School, Knoxville, TN)

Dr. Sam B. Smith Award, Best Research Paper, Senior Division
Jacob Taylor (Taylor Homeschool, Greeneville, Greeneville, TN)