Students advance to state History Day

Posted on: Apr 8, 2020

While schools have physically shut down in Minnesota, the regional History Day competition went ahead in a virtual format on Monday, March 23.

This week, 14 Delano students found out that they have advanced to state with seven total projects.

Although the remote format took away the interactive aspect of the regional experience, students were still able to submit their work and receive feedback on it. The virtual state competition will take place on Saturday, May 2.

History Day is open to students in sixth grade and eighth grade who are members of Delano’s Advanced Language Arts program. This year’s theme of “Breaking Barriers in History” challenged them to not only build a base of knowledge about a research topic of their choice, but also offer analysis and an explanation of why that event was significant through a documentary, website, exhibit or performance.

“I like that we got to choose our research topic, and we got to present it our own way,” said sixth-grader Sydney Pink after the local school competition on Feb. 4. “It was fun getting to research a topic for that long and getting to really know it.”

Of the 25 total research projects involved in the local Delano competition, 13 advanced to regions. Of that total, seven advanced to state and three more earned honorable mention honors but did not advance.

State qualifiers

Four websites constructed by Delano students will enter the state competition. They include:

· “Martha Ripley and the Fight for Maternity Hospitals,” by Grace Danielson.

· “Sandra Day O’Connor: A Different Kind of Justice,” by Eleanor Hajas and Alaina Schoepke.

· “A League of Their Own: Creating a Path for Women’s Rights and Giving Women a New Opportunity,” by Sydney Pink and Kaelyn Wittwer.

· “Texas Western 1965-1966 NCAA Men’s Basketball Title Team: Paving the Way to Collegiate Integration,” by Carter Van Beusekom, Grayson Poppler and Hayden Rue.

Two groups also advanced in the documentary category. They include:

· “Lobotomy: The Imperfect Cure,” by Erica Kazin, Kiersten Koets and Moriah Tonsberg.

· “Madam CJ Walker Breaking Barriers as an African American Businesswoman,” by Peyton Logan and Larissa Pietila.

Finally, Katie Harder advanced as an individual in the performance category with her dramatic depiction of “The Limping Lady: Virginia Hall’s Journey to Becoming the Most Successful Female Spy in America.”

Honorable mention

Three other project groups received honorable mention honors, though they did not advance to state. They included:

· “Barter to Bits: The Evolution from Ancient Trading to Digital Transactions,” an exhibit by Meredith Duis, Logan Felknor and Megan Westberg.

· “Apollo 11: The First Space Mission to Put a Man on the Moon and Pave the Way for Future Space Explorations,” by Dylan Bekkala, Elijah Engesser and Colt Richardson.

· “Amelia Earhart: Carving a Path for Female Aviators,” by Laney Beeler and Abbie Pietila.
 

Post Categories: High School, Intermediate School