Thirty-five Knox County students won special awards or took first, second or third place in the 22nd annual East Tennessee History Day Regional Competition. Winners were announced via Zoom in early March. This year’s virtual event featured 178 students and 95 projects. Grades 6–12 participated at the regional level from 13 schools in seven counties.
First and second place winners, with third place winners serving as alternates, will advance to the state competition, Tennessee History Day, with state winners to be announced by the Tennessee Historical Society on April 2, 2022. From there, state winners will advance to nationals in College Park, Maryland, to be held virtually in June 2022. Regional competition co-sponsors, the East Tennessee Historical Society and the University of Tennessee’s Department of History, congratulate and commend these students and their teachers on their hard work and success.
“We are incredibly proud of our East Tennessee students who continue to go above and beyond with their research and dedication,” said Lisa Oakley, ETHS curator of education and ETHD regional coordinator. “Our ETHD projects consistently win top honors at the state competition and always represent East Tennesseans well at the national level.”
Traditionally, around 3,500 students compete at the school level in the East Tennessee Region. An estimated 750,000 students nationally compete in their schools.
Knox County Students Placing First, Second or Third in NHD Categories (Website, Documentary, Exhibit, Performance and Paper)
Junior=Middle School and Senior=High School
Junior Group Documentary – First Place – TVA v. Hill: How a Controversial Dam and a Tiny Fish Challenged the ESA – Jelena Armsworth, Lulu Schwed – Bearden Middle School – Teacher Mary Nipper.
Junior Individual Exhibit – First Place – Creation of the State of Israel – Nicholas Burke – Bearden Middle School – Teacher Matthew Neuhart.
Junior Individual Paper – Third Place – The Treaty of Versailles: The Death of One War and Birth of Another – Luke Sompayrac – St. Joseph School – Teacher Alice Handley.
Junior Individual Website – Third Place – The Importance of Debate and Diplomacy in History: The Cuban Missile Crisis – Oscar Wimmer – Bearden Middle School – Teacher Matthew Neuhart.
Senior Individual Documentary – First Place – A Crime Without a Name: Raphael Lemkin’s Crusade for the International Criminalization of Genocide – Elizabeth Suters – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher Derek Griffin. Second Place – A&W: The Story of Taking a Chance – Emma Grace Patterson – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher: Derek Griffin. Third Place – How Flowers Changed the United States – Sarah Mundorff – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher Alexis Hall.
Senior Group Documentary – Second Place – Alan Turing: His Life, Work and Loss – Ella Brush, Kennedy Bresler, Jessica Myers, Clara Suters – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher Derek Griffin. Third Place – Homosexuals in the United States Army – Camille Gabetta, Adeline Rankin – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher Karen Stanish.
Senior Individual Exhibit – Second Place – World War II: The Atomic Bombs Debate and Diplomacy –Lily Anna Starmer – West High School – Teacher Lindsey Parks. Third Place – The Cold Race – Isabella Alfugaha – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher Derek Griffin.
Senior Group Exhibit – Second Place – Debate And Diplomacy Within Cuba and The United States – Lizzie Borrego, Katie Harper, Ingrid Hernandez, Joshua Martinez – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher Karen Stanish. Third Place – The Lavender Scare – Cerri Allen, Isabel Brown, Rebecca Marcel, Moon McDonough, Rachel Stewart – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher Derek Griffin.
Senior Individual Paper – Second Place – The Super Economy Issue – Cole Davis – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher Derek Griffin.
Senior Individual Website – First Place – Project MKULTRA – Natalie Myers – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher Derek Griffin. Second Place – The Bangladesh Liberation War – Sameeha Huq – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher Derek Griffin. Third Place – The Rise of the Berlin Wall – Kaitlyn Harper – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher Alexis Hall.
Senior Group Website – First Place – Beyond Barbed Wire: The Debate and Diplomacy Surrounding Japanese Internment – Annie Hodge, Izabella Maestroiani – West High School – Teacher Lindsey Parks. Second Place – PLATO: Revolutionizing Public Debate – Adam Abdelrahman, Tyler Chan, Anish Dayal, Arnav Dayal – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher Derek Griffin.
Special Awards
Dan and Mary Shannon Award for Best Use of Primary Sources, Senior Division
Second Place – Senior Group Website – PLATO: Revolutionizing Public Debate – Adam Abdelrahman, Tyler Chan, Anish Dayal, Arnav Dayal – L&N STEM Academy – Teacher Derek Griffin.
Making History Personal Award
Senior Group Website – Beyond Barbed Wire: The Debate and Diplomacy Surrounding Japanese Internment – Annie Hodge, Izabella Maestroiani – West High School – Teacher Lindsey Parks.
Information provided by East Tennessee Historical Society.