Five Knox County students who placed first or second in their categories at this year’s Tennessee History Day contest will represent Tennessee at the National History Day competition beginning June 12.
After competing in regional contests across the state, 241 students advanced to this year’s Tennessee History Day competition, held the first two weeks of April. On Tennessee History Day, 102 students representing 26 schools in 12 counties earned recognition. Ninety-three students earned first, second and third place medals, 23 students were awarded special prizes and two educators were recognized as Educators of the Year.
The Knox County students advancing to the National History Day competition are:
2nd Place Junior Group Documentary & Mitchell Mielnik Memorial Prize for the Best Project in Sports, Recreation, or the Environment – Sponsored by the Family and Friends of Mitchell Mielnik – Junior Division Winner
Project: TVA V. Hill: How a Controversial Dam and a Tiny Fish Challenged the ESA
Students: Jelena Armsworth and Lulu Schwed
School: Bearden Middle School
Educator: Mary Nipper
2nd Place Senior Individual Documentary
Project: A Crime Without a Name: Raphael Lemkin’s Crusade for the International Criminalization of Genocide
Student: Elizabeth Suters
School: L&N STEM Academy
Educator: Derek Griffin
2nd Place Senior Group Website
Project: Beyond Barbed Wire: The Debate and Diplomacy Surrounding Japanese Internment
Students: Izabella Maestroiani and Annie Hodge
School: West High School
Educator: Lindsey Parks
These Knox County students also earned awards at the Tennessee History Day competition:
3rd Place Junior Individual Exhibit
Project: Creation of the State of Israel
Student: Nicholas Burke
School: Bearden Middle School
Educator: Mary Nipper
3rd Place Senior Group Documentary
Project: Alan Turing: His Life, Work, and Loss
Students: Clara Suters, Ella Brush, Kennedy Bresler and Jessica Myers
School: L&N STEM Academy
Educator: Derek Griffin
Oral History Association Award – Sponsored by the Oral History Association – Senior Group Exhibit
Project: Leaving Cuba and Never Returning
Students: Ingrid Hernandez, Josh Martinez, Katie Harper and Lizzie Borrego
School: L & N STEM Academy
Educator: Karen Stanish
“Congratulations to every student who participated in this year’s Tennessee History Day competition and to the 61 students who are advancing to compete at National History Day,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. “I wish you the best of luck at National History Day. I know you will represent our great state well on the national stage.”
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. Each project is in one of five categories: documentaries, exhibits, performances, websites or papers and relates to this year’s theme, Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences.
“I am so proud of all of our Tennessee History Day students,” said Tennessee History Day coordinator Nikki Ward. “We have seen them challenge themselves in the topics they have chosen this year. Their continued dedication to research, analysis and creativity is impressive.”
The National History Day competition hosted virtually by the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., will take place will take place June 12-18, 2022. The Tennessee students advancing to the National History Day will compete with students from across the country for prestigious awards and scholarships.
Tennessee History Day is coordinated by the Tennessee Historical Society and sponsored by 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 the complete list of 2022 Tennessee History Day winners, visit sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com/s3fs-public/document/2022_Tennessee_History_Day_Winners.pdf.
