It was a chance to showcase how positive outcomes can arise from adverse events as Thomas County Central High School held its annual National History Day competition Friday, Feb. 1.
This year’s theme is “Tragedy & Triumph in History.” Individual and group entrees ranged from research papers to a performance.
“This year's overall fair entries showed a shift away from poster board exhibits toward papers and websites,” TCCHS NHD Coordinator Brett James said. “The documentaries were strong, and the lone performance we had was exceptional.”
Sophomore Megan Clark, 15, is a member of this performance group. Their dramatic interpretation is titled, “The Fact We Know and the Anxiety We Feel: The Impact of the Murder of Emmett Till on American Civil Rights.”
“Our chosen topic was Emmett Till’s murder and how it affected the civil rights movement,” Clark said. “My group and I picked this topic because we have always been interested in Emmett Till’s story.”
Freshman Everett Sanzo, 14, earned second place in the documentary category for his video, “The Story of Walt Disney.” He chose Disney because of his interest in art and animation.
“I participated because I felt like I could make a good documentary that's both fun to make and educational,” he said. “More students should take part in it (NHD) because it teaches them important topics and how it applies to important people and events in history.”
Guest Judge Greg Smith thinks NHD helps students connect the dots between historical events and how those events shape the world. He appreciates this year’s theme because it is about rising above a bad event and making a tragedy into a triumph.
“They impressed me because I was pleased to see students recognize how history is not merely a set of facts to remember, but how those facts go together to make the story of how tragedy can lead to triumph,” Smith said of this year’s entries. “The best projects were extensively researched.”
TCCHS judge Mark Thompson looked for originality, thoughtful analysis and conclusions supported by evidence in his scoring. He wanted to see critical thinking.
Both participants and judges hope more students will take a future interest in NHD.
“We need to find ways to encourage an interest in understanding the context of historical events,” Thompson said. “Things happen for a reason.”
Clark participates in NHD because she finds the overall experience fun and enjoys learning about history. She encourages fellow students to give it a try.
“Students should participate in NHD because the experience is amazing,” she said. “You not only learn so much information about a topic, but it also helps with other classes. Doing NHD helps with how you research for the rest of your life.”
School NHD winners advance to the state level competition.
Sanzo feels good about his placement but knows there are areas in which he could improve his documentary.
“I will go into adding and deleting necessary and unnecessary elements,” he said.
Clark is pleased with her group’s placement in the school level competition. She looks forward to incorporating the judges’ comments into improving the performance for state competition.
“I’m taking everything the judges told me seriously,” Clark said. “The judges gave really great comments that could improve my performance. They gave comments about our set and script that were helpful, and my group and I will definitely work hard to follow all their notes.”
The 2019 National History Day Georgia State Contest is April 13 at LaGrange College.
TCCHS NATIONAL HISTORY DAY WINNERS
Documentary
1st Place ~ Molly Grace White - Audrey Hepburn
2nd Place ~ Everett Sanzo - Walt Disney
Paper
1st Place ~ Fareeha Mohammad (Georgia Cyber Academy Student) - Library of Alexandria
2nd Place ~ Laura Hiers - Women Pilots of World War II
3rd Place ~ Carson Harris Landing - Pearl Harbor
Performance
1st Place ~ Megan Clark, Aubrey Miller, Cameron Parker, Stephen Sykes - Emmett Till
Website (Individual)
1st Place ~ Karsyn Bush - Henrietta Lacks
2nd Place ~ Georgia Rose Patton - Lost Battalion
Website (Group)
1st Place ~ Ethan Nicoll, Jack Cantrell - Shoeless Joe Jackson
Best Women’s History Project
Molly Grace White - Audrey Hepburn
Best African American History Project
Megan Clark, Aubrey Miller, Cameron Parker, Stephen Sykes - Emmett Till
Best Overall
Fareeha Mohammad - Library of Alexandria