All 19 high school and middle school students who competed at the recent Western District History Day at Chadron State College qualified for the Nebraska National History Day State Contest in Lincoln on April 20.
Students competed in either the junior or senior divisions with 11 from Crawford, 7 from Chadron, and 1 from Harrison.
This year’s judges included 4 Chadron State faculty and staff members along with Chadron Public Library Director and CSC alum Rossella Tesch.
CSC Conferencing Coordinator Shellie Johns organized History Day along with veteran Dawes County educator Moni Hourt.
Johns says the judges did a fantastic job and provided great feedback to help the students prepare for state, adding that the volunteers “were so passionate about the program and truly enjoyed being judges.”
Johns says she and Hourt hope next year to be able to invite parents to participate in more activities with the students during History Day.
Judge and CSC Professor Dr Kurt Kinbacher represented the Mari Sandoz Society in presenting $50 Plains Awards to two teams from Crawford: Ada Norman and Amelia Betson, and Garrett Tollman and Tomi Reid. .
PLACINGS (Groups with junior and senior level students competed at the senior level.)
Senior Individual Exhibit
1, Josephine Werner, Chadron, Birth Control
2, Hunter Owens, Crawford, The Battle of Greasy Grass
Senior Group Exhibit
1, Tomi Reid and Garrett Tollman, Crawford, Homesteading: Opening One Door: Closing
2, Treye Gibbons, Teague Edelman, and Miranda Betson, Crawford, The Devil Rope
Junior Group Exhibit
1, Amelia Betson and Ada Norman, Crawford, The Great Improver: Hereford Cattle
2, Skyler Edelman, Neleigh Gortsema, and Ben Norman, Crawford, The Rain Didn’t Follow the Plow
Junior Group Website
1, Samuel Kahl, Matthew Sorenson, Chadron, Turning Point in Air Travel
2, Jett Paopao, Meredith Werner, Chadron, Italian Mafia Development
Junior Individual Website
1, Adam Curd, Chadron, WWI: The Uprising of Chemical Warfare
Senior Individual Website
1, Tatiana Abdelgabar, Chadron, Radium Girls
Junior Individual Paper
1, Miranda Smith, Harrison, The Amazing Pony Express