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GPS Students Achieve Impressive Results at National History Day Contest
Three teams place third in state competition
Congratulations to three GPS teams of National History Day competitors for their impressive showings in the virtual state contest.
Kendall Rizer and Anabel Wilson placed third with their senior group performance of “Riding Towards Freedom.”
Reed Dillard, freshman Modern World History teacher, says of his girls, "Anabel and Kendall impressed all three of the judges with their representation of the Freedom Riders’ story through the use of spoken-word technique. The performance showed off their creativity through its unique organization as well as their diligence in terms of the research. I am proud of their hard work and dedication and am grateful that I got to see them deliver their powerful performance live for myself at the regional competition.”
Ainsley Bronze, Emerson Couch, Lucie DeGaetano, and Bella Durst also placed third with their junior group performance of "Getting Past the Nazis: The Story of Irena Sendler and the Warsaw Ghetto."
Dr. Ralph Covino, Middle School National History Day enrichment club sponsor, is also thrilled at his girls' results. "Last year, our Middle School group performance team placed fourth in the state competition. With a slightly reformed cast they came back this year and blew the judges away with the play they wrote, their attention to detail, and their solid research. They have grown so much over the last two years in the club as students and teammates, sure, as confident performers, definitely, but most importantly as friends who have become more like sisters. The intersection of these areas of growth? That's GPS right there. That's where the magic happens."
Additionally, Claire Mitchell, Meghan Wilson, and Reagan Ziegler also came in third with their senior group website “The Man Who Broke the Racial Barriers at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga: Dr. Horace Traylor.”
“The girls knew right away that they wanted their project on Breaking Barriers in History to be local and relevant to the contest theme,” Covino says. “Our local university’s example was ideal for them to examine and then connect to the wider issues of segregation and desegregation across the country. It was a great Tennessee history project that tapped into the bigger issues and clearly showed that these girls have historical thinking skills, which they will need as they go into sophomore year and beyond.”
In addition to these wins, each GPS team is positioned to be the alternate for Tennessee for the virtual national competition, should the first- or second-place groups choose to not compete in their category. Overall, around 13,000 students enter National History Day in Tennessee, which is narrowed down to about 275 for the state competition.
Congratulations to these girls on their impressive performances.
Congratulations to these girls on their impressive performances.
(Photos were taken at the local competition held at Lee University on March 5.)
