Press Release
July 3, 2018
Contact: Steve Hawkins
Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-0754
shawkins@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/historycenter
Oklahoma Schools Take Honors in National History Day Competition in Washington, D.C.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Ten students representing three Oklahoma schools received recognition for their projects during the national competition for the 2018 National History Day (NHD) contest. The national contest is the final stage in a series of contests at local and state/affiliate levels. Students begin their journey by presenting their projects in classrooms, schools and districts across the country. Top entries are invited to the state/affiliate level contests. The top two entries in every category at the state/affiliate level are then invited to the national contest. The 2018 National History Day Contest was held June 10–14, 2018, at the University of Maryland, College Park. Every year NHD frames students’ research within a historical theme. This year’s theme was “Conflict and Compromise in History.”
Braxton Thompson, Kenzi Nix and Kylie Nix of Canton Elementary School received the African American History Special prize for their exhibit “Governor Raymond Gary and the Better Schools Amendment.” Their teacher is Ms. Penny Heath. Kasidee Pope, also from Canton Elementary School, received the History of Agricultural and Rural Life Special Prize for her exhibit “A Conflict of Nature.” Her teacher is Ms. Dora Fuqua. Audrey Thiessen, Isabella Butzer and Mailee Reavis of Classen School of Advanced Studies earned the Outstanding Oklahoma Entry, Junior Division Award for their exhibit “The Textile Strike of 1934.” Their teacher is LaRadius Stephens. Kasen Cooper, Nathaniel Masters and Brendan Raper of Morrison High School were awarded the Outstanding Oklahoma Entry, Senior Division for their documentary “From Turmoil to Truce: The Irish Troubles.” Their teacher is Patty Sanders.
NHD is a nonprofit education organization in College Park, Md. Established in 1974, NHD offers year-long academic programs that engage more than half a million middle and high school students around the world annually in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. NHD also seeks to improve the quality of history education by providing professional development opportunities and curriculum materials for educators. NHD is sponsored in part by HISTORY®, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Park Service and Southwest Airlines. For more information, visit nhd.org.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
###
