CLARKSVILLE, TN –Eight Montgomery County students who placed first or second in their categories at this year’s Tennessee History Day competition will represent Tennessee at the National History Day competition.
After competing in regional contests across the state, 217 students participated in this year’s Tennessee History Day competition, held April 15, 2023. Out of 124 group and individual projects submitted, 62 students advanced to the National History Day competition, 92 students earned medals and 16 students received special prizes.
The Montgomery County award winners from the Tennessee History Day competition are:
- 1st Place in the Junior Group Exhibit and the Tennessee Historical Records Advisory Board (THRAB) Award for Research at Tennessee Repositories, Junior Division. Project: Courage, Conviction, Commitment: The Incredible Flying Fort, by: Anna Averitt, Alanna Mays, Lainey McQuade. From: Kirkwood Middle School, Clarksville. Educator: Whitney Joyner.
- 1st Place in the Senior Individual Exhibit, project: The Forgotten Astronomer: How Henrietta Swan Leavitt Expanded Astronomical Frontiers, by: Ashlynn York. From: Clarksville Academy, Clarksville. Educator: Kristen Johnson.
- 2nd Place in the Junior Group Website, project: The Invention of the World Wide Web, by: Evens Donard, Gavin O’Bryant. From: Richview Middle School, Clarksville. Educator: Tabitha Wilson.
- 2nd Place in the Junior Individual Exhibit, project: One Man’s Dream: Robert Hutchings Goddard and his Liquid-Fueled Rocket, by: Rafeif Abdelhalim. From: Northeast Middle School, Clarksville. Educator: Crystol May.
- 3rd Place in the Junior Group Documentary and the Mitchell Mielnik Memorial Prize for the Best Project in Sports, Recreation, or the Environment, Junior Division, project: Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend: Frontiers in Women’s Sports, by: Madisen Walters, Emily Weston. From: Kirkwood Middle School, Clarksville. Educator: Aimee Hoffman.
- 3rd Place in the Junior Individual Website, project: Cracking the Code: The Wrens of Bletchley Park, by: Jaylene Park. From: Kirkwood Middle School, Clarksville. Educator: Whitney Joyner.
“Congratulations to all the talented students who participated in this year’s Tennessee History Day competition,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “Good luck to the students advancing to compete in National History Day. I know you will proudly represent our great state. History Day is a year-long competition in which students in grades 6-12 submit group or individual projects about people and events of historical significance to be judged. These projects include dramatic performances, imaginative exhibits, multimedia documentaries, websites and research papers related to this year’s theme, Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.”
“We were so impressed by the research, enthusiasm and creativity displayed by the students at Tennessee History Day this year,” said Tennessee History Day coordinator Nikki Ward. “It is a testament to their educators, as well as the tenacity of this group of scholars. We are so proud of our Tennessee students.”
The National History Day competition will be hosted at the University of Maryland campus in College Park, Maryland, June 11-15. The top finishers in each category will earn prestigious awards and scholarships. Tennessee History Day is coordinated by the Tennessee Historical Society and sponsored by the Tennessee Secretary of State, Humanities Tennessee, the Memorial Foundation and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Tennessee State Library & Archives volunteers and 70 others coordinated efforts to make this event possible.