Delano Intermediate School sends a team to National History Day competition
Posted on: Apr 24, 2023
In February, students in the Accelerated Language Arts program at the intermediate and the high schools showcased their history projects during the annual History Day school competition. Students competed with projects based on the 2023 theme, “Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.”
The History Day competition can be a fun way to showcase a year's worth of hard work by students. The competition involves four levels of events: school, regional, state, and national.
Since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, students have dove deep into historical research. Students used a class trip to the Minneapolis Public Library to find a number of sources, and online information to supplement their efforts. They became filmmakers, web designers, playwrights and artists to create unique interpretations of history. In February, students displayed and presented their projects; teachers or judges chose the projects that advanced to the regional competition. Of the 29 total projects presented by 6th through 8th graders, 13 advanced to the regional competition.
On April 22, five, 6th grade teams and eight, 8th grade teams, competed in the State History Day competition at the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. Hundreds of teams from all over the state were competing in hopes of advancing to the National level.
Overall, Delano Public Schools fared well in the competition, going home with several honorable mentions, and two, top place recognitions. One 6th grade team from the Delano Intermediate School, Oliver Berg, Robert (Bobby) Schleif placed second in their category earning them a trip to Washington D.C. to compete this June. Berg and Schleif advanced with their performance of The Fight for Electric Automobile; Leading the Way for an Economically Healthier Way of Travel. This is the first time in DIS history that a team from the intermediate school is competing in the National History Day competition!
Congratulations to all the students who participated in the state competition and good luck Bobby and Oliver.
Group Performance:
2nd Place National Qualifier. The Fight for the Electric Automobile: A Frontier for a More Efficient, Ecological, and Safe Way of Travel by Oliver Berg, Robert Schleif (6th gr).
3rd Place. Biotoxins: A Frontier in War by Alexis Zens, Harry Stenback, Joseph Taylor (8th gr).
Individual Documentary:
Honorable Mention. Stan Lee and his Influence on the Entertainment Industry by Ella Schaefer
Group Documentary:
Honorable Mention. Title IX: A Frontier That Broke Down Barriers for Women‘s Equality by Cora Boyack, Meredith van Bergen, Sophie Kopperud (6th gr)
Individual Website:
Honorable Mention. The Mars Pathfinder: A Frontier on Mars by Cayden Bragg (8th gr)
Group Websites:
Honorable Mention. The Atomic Bomb: Destroyer of Worlds by Isabelle Bushey, Layla Noll (8th gr)
Honorable Mention. The Great Chicago Fire: How Building Codes Emerged From The Ashes by Alexa Huotari, Emilia Bidle, Rose Lahti (6th gr)
Honorable Mention. Hedy Lamarr: Not Just A Pretty Face by Adison Praught, Priscilla Bjorklund (8th gr)