History Day is a year-long competition in which students in grades 6-12 compete by submitting group or individual projects about people and events of historical significance. These projects include dramatic performances, imaginative exhibits, multimedia documentaries, websites, and research papers related to this year’s theme, Breaking Barriers in History.

The Knox County award winners from the Tennessee History Day competition are:

2nd Place in the Junior Group Website Category
Project: Penicillin: A Modern Medical Miracle
By: Charles Burke, Duncan Gilpatric and Thomas Theriot
From: Bearden Middle School
Educator: Maureen Schenk

1st Place in the Junior Individual Paper Category
Project: Laying Tracks: The Golden Spike that Tamed a Continent
By: Lukas Bowen
From: Bearden Middle School
Educator: David McGinnis

2nd Place in the Senior Group Documentary Category
Project: Breaking the Sound Barrier
By: Fischer Blair, Michael Maxwell, Alexander Pittman and Keanan Resendes
From: L&N STEM Academy
Educator: Karen Stanish

2nd Place in the Senior Individual Exhibit Category
Project: Filthy as Charged: The Civil Sickness of Mary Mallon
By: Kirby Renalds
L&N STEM Academy, Knoxville, Knox County
Educator: Derek Griffin

1st Place in the Senior Individual Website Category
Project: Marguerite Higgins: Paving the Way for Female Correspondents
By: Gail Meyers
From: L&N STEM Academy
Educator: Derek Griffin

2nd Place in the Senior Group Website Category
Project: Internet Connections Through Barriers
By: Adam Abdelrahman, Tyler Chan and Lucas Couch
From: L&N STEM Academy
Educator: Karen Stanish

3rd Place in the Senior Individual Documentary Category
Project: The Mother Who Saved Suffrage: Febb Burn’s Barrier Breaking Letter
By: Eli Thompson
From: Berean Christian School ISP
Educator: Sharron Thompson

3rd Place in the Junior Individual Performance Category
Project: Nellie Bly: Breaking Barriers Worldwide
By: Helen Liulevicius
From: St. John Neumann Catholic School
Educator: Joe Caldwell

3rd Place in the Senior Group Documentary Category
Project: Men on the Moon: The Story of Apollo
By: Chloe Porter and John Walker
From: L&N STEM Academy
Educator: Derek Griffin

“These talented students are to be commended for their success in this year’s Tennessee History Day competition,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “I am proud that they will be representing Tennessee on the national stage. With young scholars like these, our future is bright.”

Due to school closures and social distancing, this year’s Tennessee History Day became an online competition held the first two weeks of April. Students, educators, judges, staff and volunteers adapted to the situation. They learned new skills to ensure that student participation remained high.

“Our students faced enormous challenges this year. Some of them have been out of school since the tornadoes at the beginning of March. Some of their projects were locked in closed schools. They showed dedication to continue their research without access to their school libraries. Their teachers are also to be congratulated; they have transitioned to an online environment for classroom instruction and extracurricular activates like History Day,” said Tennessee History Day coordinator Jennifer C. Core. “We hope that engaging in rigorous research while sheltering at home, has kept them intellectually committed and stimulated creatively.”

After competing in regional contests across the state, 260 students participated in this year’s Tennessee History Day. Out of 138 group and individual projects submitted, 69 students advanced to the National History Day competition, 102 students earned medals, 27 students received special prizes.

The 69 students from Tennessee advancing to the National History Day will compete with students from across the country for prestigious awards and scholarships. This year’s National History Day competition will be hosted virtually from the University of Maryland campus in College Park, Maryland, June 14-18.

The Tennessee Historical Society sponsors Tennessee History Day with grant support from the Secretary of State, Humanities Tennessee, the Memorial Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

For more information about Tennessee History Day, visit tennesseehistory.org/tennessee-history-day.

For a full list of this year’s Tennessee History Day medal winners, visit sos-tn-gov-files.tnsosfiles.com/TennesseeHistoryDayWinners.pdf.