Every year National History Day frames students’ research within a historical theme. The theme is chosen for the broad application to world, national, or state history and its relevance to ancient history or to the more recent past. The 2018-2019 theme is Triumph & Tragedy in History.
Led by Liberty Bell teachers David Aspholm and Scott Barber and supported by Rebecca Shoup, many Liberty Bell 8th and 10th grade students made a strong impression at the National History Day regional competition that took place last weekend with many taking top honors and advancing to the state competition.
Throughout the fall and winter, Liberty Bell students have been deeply engaged in research associated with a variety of topics based on the theme Triumph & Tragedy in History. Students have been asking questions about time, place and context, cause and effect, change over time, impact, and significance related to their chosen themes.
As part of the research process, students have been asked to consider not only when and where events happened, but analyze why they occurred, the factors contributed to their development, and draw conclusions about how the topic influenced and was influenced by people, ideas, or events.
In the Senior Division, only the top 2 in each category moved on to state competition. As you will see by the list below, our students performed well – taking the highest honors in every category. We’ve included links to two of the projects to give you a sense of what our students produced.
Senior Individual Documentary:
First Place – Greta Laesch, “Bloody Sunday”
Second Place -Lena Nelson, “Forgotten Wonders” – Lena’s Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFeh3bAwXlo
Senior Individual Websites:
First Place – Keeley Brooks, “Mine Okubo” – Keeley’s Website: http://42152521.nhd.weebly.com
Second Place – Cymone Van Marter, “The Greatest Show On Earth”
Senior Group Website:
First Place – Annika Libby and Liv Aspholm, “The Race to the South Pole”
8th grade students advancing to the state competition include:
Melody Langan – George Melies Impact
Jackson Schmekel, Carter Sheley & Beau Tanguy – Henry Ford’s First Moving Assembly Line
Nina Kominak, Lucy Tobiska – Alice Paul: Fight for Women’s Suffrage
Clementine Palinska – Our Bodies, Our Cells? The Life Of Henrietta Lacks
Lily Colin – Vincent van Gogh: From Tragedy to Triumph
Please join us as we thank David Aspholm, Scott Barber, Rebecca Shoup, the Public School Funding Alliance, and congratulate all of our National History Day participants!