For These History Students, the Battle They Face is Not Just in the Pages of a Textbook
History Day competition takes students beyond the classroom and into libraries, historical societies, and museums.
March 14, 2013
The past six months were full of challenges for students who competed in the recent Virginia History Day contest. Taking part in the contest means confronting a theme not of the student’s own choosing and turning it into a winning research paper, exhibit, documentary, or Web site. These students and their dedicated teachers dug deep and discovered the thrill of completing a difficult task. In all, 32 School Division students from Graham Park Middle School, Pennington Traditional School, and Potomac and Stonewall Jackson High Schools took part in the regional event in hope of advancing to the state competition.
This year, students incorporated the 2013 theme, “Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events,” into their projects. Throughout the school year, they conducted research from primary and secondary resources in order to prepare their projects.
Hard work paid off for some Pennington Traditional School students, who brought home eight awards to PWCS:
- Tyler Parowski, won first place for his performance “The Final Shot of the Civil War.”
- Nate Romanowski, first place for his Web site “A Turning of War: Blitzkrieg in the Battle France.”
- Isabella Posey, first place for her exhibit “Baby of the Century.”
- Charlie Nelson, second place for his exhibit “A Strike Back.”
- Sam Case and Ryan Whiteley won second place for their Web site “A Dire Decision.”
- Vince Khochareun and Navya Annapareddy, with third place for their exhibit “Struggle Towards Freedom.”
- Abigail Wied and Madhurya Ratnakar won both the George Washington Award and Revolutionary Award for their exhibit “Washington’s Successful Risk.”
“We are very proud of all 14 eighth-grade students and one seventh-grade student who competed at the Northern Virginia Regional Level of the Virginia History Day Competition,” said Marsha Weiss, gifted education teacher at Pennington Traditional School. “They all showed persistence and dedication on this six-month journey towards the completion of their National History Day projects.”
The History Day program culminates in a series of contests held at the regional, state, and national levels, giving the top winners a chance to face increasingly difficult competition. The six students who received first and second place awards at the regional Virginia History Day Contest will represent Pennington and PWCS when they travel to the state competition in historical Williamsburg on April 20.
For more information, contact District 5 Coordinator Michelle Longo at 703.746.2156. Visit the Virginia History Day Web site at http://www.history.org/history/teaching/vahisday.cfm.
The History Day program culminates in a series of contests held at the regional, state, and national levels, giving the top winners a chance to face increasingly difficult competition. The six students who received first and second place awards at the regional Virginia History Day Contest will represent Pennington and PWCS when they travel to the state competition in historical Williamsburg on April 20.
For more information, contact District 5 Coordinator Michelle Longo at 703.746.2156. Visit the Virginia History Day Web site at http://www.history.org/history/teaching/vahisday.cfm.
