Two Thomas County High School students attained special recognitions during this month’s National History Day Georgia competition. One earned a monetary prize while the other won a trip to bring her project’s era to vibrant life.
Junior Brooklyn Reese won the Georgia World War I Centennial Commission special award for her exhibit on the Hello Girls, U.S. Army Signal Corps women who worked the switchboards in France during World War I. According to the award letter sent to Reese by Laura T. McCarty, president of Georgia Humanities, the high schooler has won a trip to visit World War I sites in France this summer.
Reese, 17, won this award on the region level, a $500 cash prize, earlier this year, TCCHS NHD advisor Christine Patton said. This put her in the running for the state award and the trip.
“She competed against the 10 other region winners and won the state award as well,” explains Patton.
For previous NHD projects, Brooklyn Reese says she researched topics from World War II; however, when she found out there was a special award for researching a World War I topic, Reese changed her era. It was then that she came across an article that mentioned the Hello Girls and a project was born.
Reese was hoping to win the state award; however, due to the level of competition, she didn’t really expect to be victorious.
“There were many people from all over the state who entered into this competition, but when they called me up on stage, I was just shocked,” she said. “I had won a trip to France! This award is a wonderful and prestigious honor, and it makes me feel like all of the work I put into this project has paid off, and then some.”
Reese’s project also earned third place in her division during state competition and is the alternate for nationals. She feels her performance in judges’ interview and her overall project design helped her to plug in a success.
The trip is July 24-31 for Reese, two parents/guardians and a teacher/advisor, who will be Patton.
“Brooklyn has worked with outstanding history teachers in the Thomas County school system since sixth grade when she began competing in NHD,” Patton says. “I am honored that she chose me to accompany her and her family on this once in a lifetime trip."
This will not be Reese’s first time in a foreign country – she’s participated in two trips through TCCHS’ overseas travel program (to destinations including London, Paris, Barcelona, Wales and Ireland) – but she’s no less excited for another adventure.
“The trips were amazing,” Reese says. “The culture is so different from what we experience here, and I am so excited to be going over there and experiencing it much more.”
According to the award letter, Reese’s prize includes airfare, lodging, museum entrance and transportation fees, and daily breakfast and dinner.
Trip stop highlights are expected to include the following: Paris to sites such as the Arc de Triomphe, the Tuileres Garden and Les Invalides, the National French Army Museum; the Chateau-Thierry battle area and the Aisne-Marne Cemetery; several days in Reims, where there was heavy fighting during World War I; the area around the Croix Rouge Farm, where the 167th Infantry from Alabama fought an obscure but significant battle; and Verdun, known for its trench warfare. Reese and her companions are expected to take part in various ceremonies and presentations as well.
“We will be exploring critically important events and places in World War I history,” longtime NHD judge and trip guide Dr. George E. Cressman Jr. writes in his memorandum outlining the experience to the winning student.
Patton finds it exciting to know Cressman will be their personal tour guide.
“Dr. Cressman has extensively studied World War I and he has personally picked out the sites we will visit,” she said. “We are all looking forward to learning as much as we can from him."
The other TCCHS student to place at state competition is junior Ann Guo, 16, who received an honorable mention for her website on the topic “The Passage of Medicare and Medicaid.”
“I was surprised to receive honorable mention at state NHD because I do not have the best presentation skills,” Guo says. “After doing NHD for several years, I knew that my presentation skills would improve. During my interview, I showed that I was passionate about my topic and presentation category….”
Her topic relates to material she’s learned in her Advanced Placement U.S. Government class.
“My topic depicts the conflicts and compromise of implementing Medicare and Medicaid,” she said.
Guo also won the National Archives Assembly special award for her use of primary sources. This included a $50 cash prize. The award was a surprise to Guo, who felt she didn’t have enough primary sources.
“Winning this special award reiterates the fact that I adequately used primary sources,” she said.
National History Day is an annual competition that promotes youth exploration of their nation’s past. Reese feels some people may find NHD competition to be boring because its focus point is history. However, she believes this is a faulty perception.
“...It's really not," she said. "You just have to pick a topic that you have a passion for and you will do well. It takes a lot of hard work and time, but it does pay off. It definitely has for me!”