Students in the 8th Grade American History class researched a topic that related to the theme of "Frontiers in History". Students researched primary and secondary source documents, developed and created an annotated bibliography, and prepared a 1500-word paper, exhibit board, or ten-minute documentary.
Twenty-eight students represented Mount Airy Middle School in the competition.
Eighteen students participated in the paper category.
- McKennon Hiatt placed second with his paper, "The First Transcontinental Railroad Paving the Way for the Future of the United States”.
Seven students participated in the exhibit category.
- Ella Tate and Mia Torres finished third in Group Exhibit with "Frontiers in Space Exploration: The Mercury Space Program”.
- Brylie Creed and Lily Goins finished second in Group Exhibit with "The Wright Brothers: First in Flight”.
Three students participated in the documentary category.
- Rebekah Freeman and Ty Hemric finished second in Group Documentary with "The Hindenburg Tragedy: A Failed Frontier in Aircraft"
- Katie Draughn finished third in Individual Documentary with "Dorothea Dix and the Mental Health Monster”.
This was the first competition since 2019 where students were able to travel to the college campus and answer questions posed by a panel of judges. Questions consisted of: How did you complete your research? -- Why did you choose your topic? - How does your topic relate to the theme? What did you learn? Why do you think...? Needless to say, students were nervous about speaking in front of judges, but after the interview, all stated that it was a good and interesting experience. It was exciting to witness their pride in their accomplishments.
All of the students who placed are eligible to compete at the National History Day State Competition on April 29th at the NC Museum of History in Raleigh.