FRANKFORT, Ky. – Superbugs, adult literacy and ownership of the Elgin Marbles were among the historical research topics that Kentucky students tackled in this year’s National History Day (NHD) in Kentucky state competition. The event was part of the 52nd Kentucky Junior Historical Society (KJHS) conference that took place Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, in Louisville. KJHS is a program of the Kentucky Historical Society.
More than 500 students, their parents and teachers attended the conference over the course of the two days.
NHD is a yearlong academic program focused on promoting historical research by students in sixth through 12th grades. Students can present their findings from original research on a topic of their choice via website, dramatic performance, exhibit, documentary or paper. Students who competed in Louisville had advanced from previous regional competition. Some NHD entries received special sponsored awards.
Other conference competitions included the Kentucky Junior Historical Society History Bowl, a history test and impromptu contests. Award recipient lists for each follow.
National History Day
These first- and second-place award winners in the junior and senior divisions are eligible to compete at the national contest at the University of Maryland, College Park, June 15-19:
Campbell County
- Logan Groneck and Edwin Gogzeheyan, first place, Senior Group Website, “Chemical Warfare: Rights in War,” Highlands High School.
- Allison Camm, first place, Senior Individual Performance, “The Actors Strike of 1919,” Highlands High School.
Franklin County
- Nikitha Rajendran, second place, Junior Individual Documentary, “The History of the Invasion of Superbugs: Our Rights and Responsibilities,” Elkhorn Middle School.
- Caitlyn Barnes, Julia Blackburn and Olivia Hagg, second place, Junior Group Exhibit, “The Princess and the Paparazzi,” Elkhorn Middle School.
Fayette County
- Nicholas Imam, Subershan Wignakumar and Saif Ahmed, second place, Junior Group Documentary, “Clemency for the Enemy: The Geneva Conventions Relative to Prisoners of War,” Winburn Middle School.
- Megan Slusarewicz, first place, Junior Individual Documentary, “Them Damned Pictures!: How Thomas Nast Was Responsible for the Toppling of the Tweed Ring Using His Right to Free Speech,” Winburn Middle School.
- David Ma, first place, Junior Paper, “The Stone of Immortality, Opium of the Masses,” Winburn Middle School.
- Cici Mao, second place, Junior Paper, “The Biological Weapons Convention of 1972,” Winburn Middle School.
- Stephanie Yang, first place, Junior Individual Website, “One Child Policy: Protection or Cruelty,” Winburn Middle School.
- Christopher Beebout, second place, Junior Individual Website, “I’ll Come to Thee by Moonlight: How Cora Wilson Stewart Took Responsibility for the Right to Adult Literacy,” Winburn Middle School.
- Akhil Kesaraju and Rohith Kesaraju, first place, Junior Group Website, “Clean Air Started Here: The Donora Smog Event of 1948,” Winburn Middle School.
- Angus Maske and Caitlin Labianca, second place, Junior Group Website, “Soldiers Are People Too: The Geneva Convention of 1864,” Winburn Middle School.
- Ryan Sperry, Aneesh Kadambi and Praneeth Bhatt, first place, Junior Group Exhibit, “War of the Wages: The Rights of Railroad Workers,” Winburn Middle School.
- Becca Armstrong, first place, Junior Individual Exhibit, “Putting the R in RX: Pharmaceutical Rights, Responsibilities and Regulation,” Winburn Middle School.
Grayson County
- Jayde Gross, Natalie Hack and Cody Swift, first place, Senior Group Exhibit: “An Unsung Hero: Miep Gies,” Grayson County High School.
Hardin County
- Elisabeth Aloisi, first place, Senior Individual Website, “The American Concentration Camps,” Fort Knox High School.
Henderson County
- Lilianna Welch and Emma Garrett, first place, Junior Group Performance, “A Different Kind of Childhood,” Henderson South Middle School.
Jefferson County
- Amanda Greenwell, first place, Senior Individual Exhibit, “A Vote for Women’s Rights: The Illegal Ballot Cast by Susan B. Anthony,” Mercy Academy.
- Hirra Iqbal, second place, Senior Individual Website, “Eglantyne Jeff and the Declaration of the Rights of the Child,” Mercy Academy.
- Julia Bache, first place, Senior Paper, “Angels on Horseback: How Mary Breckinridge and the Frontier Nursing Service Galloped into a New Age of Rights and Responsibilities,” Kentucky Country Day School.
- Clare Egan, second place, Senior Individual Documentary, “Politics and Protection: The Bloody Monday Riot of 1855,” Jefferson County HomeSchool.
- Catherine Bache, second place, Senior Individual Performance, “Master of Disguise: How Emma Edmonds Heartfelt Responsibility to the Union Earned Her the Right to a Pension,” Kentucky Country Day School.
Jessamine County
- Mary Caite Briggs, Hannah Sterrett and Addie Wright, second place, Junior Group Performance, “Changing African American Rights: 1945-1960,” East Jessamine Middle School.
Kenton County
- Lauren Darpel, Mackenzie Sullivan, Rylee Stephenson, Kate Abeln and Kirsten Richards, second place, Senior Group Exhibit, “A Cry Unheard!” Notre Dame Academy.
- Anna Stutler, second place, Senior Paper, “Sincerely, Me,” Notre Dame Academy.
- Emily Bautista, Caroline Krumme and Emma Jacobs, second place, Senior Group Documentary, “Clashing of the Home and Civil Spheres: The Women’s Movement during the Russian Revolution,” Notre Dame Academy.
- Madison Krallman, Audrey Field, Haley Muth and Amber Powell, second place, Senior Group Performance, “Monica Roa: Women’s Rights in Colombia,” Notre Dame Academy.
Knott County
- Hunter Combs, Isaiah Slone and Caleb Barnett, first place, Junior Group Documentary, “The Tuskegee Airmen,” Cordia School.
McCracken County
- Will Hancock and Meg Hancock, first place, Senior Group Documentary, “The Elgin Marbles: Responsible Caretaker or Rightful Owner?” Paducah Tilghman High School.
Martin County
- Hannah Ward, second place, Junior Individual Exhibit, “Miner’s Rights,” Martin County Middle School.
Meade County
- Micah Pinkley, second place, Senior Individual Exhibit, “George Rogers Clark: Defender of the West,” Lighted Path Academy.
Menifee County
- Emma Roach-Barrette, first place, Senior Individual Documentary, “Out of the Kitchen and Onto the Picket Line: The Responsibility of Women to Protect Miners’ Rights During the 1973 Harlan Coal Strike,” Menifee County High School.
Rowan County
Jordan Whittaker, first place, Junior Individual Performance, “The Stonewall Riots,” Rowan County Middle School.
Pendleton County
- Mikinley Grace Lustenberg, Morgan McKinney, Seth Longworth, Andrew Hicks and Holley Hart, first place, Senior Group Performance, “The First Amendment on Trial,” Pendleton County High School.
Pike County
- Whitney Deboard and Kylee Starcher, second place, Senior Group Website, “Dorothea Dix and the Rights of the Mentally Ill,” Pike County Central High School.
Shelby County
- Ben Brown, second place, Junior Individual Performance, “Terrorist or Martyr: John Brown’s Right and Responsibility to End Slavery,” Shelby East Middle School.
NHD Elementary Division Award Recipients
Carter County
- Autumn Perry, Jana Fannin and Allyson Davis, first place, Elementary Group Exhibit, “Lewis Hine,” Olive Hill Elementary.
- Holly Holbrook, Desiree Ranshaw and Kelsey Stilto, second place, Elementary Group Exhibit, “Susan B. Anthony,” Olive Hill Elementary.
- Faith Maddix, Katie Sammons and Brianna Burchett, second place, Elementary Group Website, “Superior Race,” Heritage Elementary.
Franklin County
- Makenna Briscoe, first place, Elementary Individual Exhibit, “Mary Breckenridge: Frontier Nursing,” Bridgeport Elementary.
Hardin County
- Michaela Rothrock, first place, Elementary Individual Website, “The Right to Play—The Responsibility to Protect: Reese and Robinson,” Woodland Elementary.
- Molly New and Trevor Butrum, first place, Elementary Group Exhibit, “The Rights and Responsibilities of Teaching Democracy to POWs,” Woodland Elementary.
Menifee County
- Reuben Thompson, first place, Elementary Individual Performance, “The Life of Frederick Douglass,” Menifee Elementary K-8.
- Dylan Lawson, second place, Elementary Individual Performance, “Famous Slave Owners,” Menifee Elementary K-8.
- Abby Clifford, second place, Elementary Individual Exhibit, “Harriet Tubman,” Menifee Elementary K-8.
NHD Special Award Recipients
Boone County
- Sarah Morgan, Kaitlin Diersing and Caitlin McNeely, Outstanding Performance Project (sponsored by the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts), “The Irish Divide,” Camp Ernst Middle School.
Franklin County
- Parks Mason and Bailey Harrod, Outstanding Project on Political History (sponsored by the Office of the Kentucky Secretary of State), “The Horse is in the House: Nixon and Watergate, Rights and Responsibilities,” Elkhorn Middle School.
Jefferson County
- Kaleb Brawand, Michael Boykin and Seth Mattingly, Outstanding Website Project (sponsored by Kentucky Dataseam), “Insult to Energy: Coal Mining,” Academy for Individual Excellence.
- Julia Bache, Filson Historical Essay Prize (sponsored by the Filson Historical Society), “Angels on Horseback: How Mary Breckinridge and the Frontier Nursing Service Galloped into a New Age of Rights and Responsibilities,” Kentucky Country Day School.
Kenton County
- Emily Bautista, Caroline Krumme and Emma Jacobs, Outstanding Senior Division Project on Women’s History (sponsored by the Kentucky Foundation for Women), “Clashing of the Home and Civil Spheres: The Women’s Movement During the Russian Revolution,” Notre Dame Academy.
Menifee County
- Kevin Spencer, Outstanding Exhibit Project (sponsored by the Kentucky Museum and Heritage Alliance), “Slaves Education,” Menifee Elementary K-8.
- Rachel Black, Outstanding Junior Division Project on Women’s History (sponsored by the Kentucky Commission on Women), “Lee Nailing,” Menifee Elementary K-8.
Rowan County
- Ben Hall, Outstanding Project on Sports History (sponsored by the Kentucky Sports Authority), “Chuck Cooper and the NBA,” Rowan County Middle School.
KJHS Competition Award Recipients
Carroll County
- Julie Clifton, Impromptu Essay Elementary Division, second place, Cartmell Elementary.
- Alex Jeffrey, Kentucky History Test Senior Division, first place, Carroll County High School.
- Katie Osborne, Kentucky History Test Elementary Division, first place, Cartmell Elementary.
- Cartmell Elementary, Impromptu Exhibit Elementary Division, second place.
Fayette County
- Shelby Amato, Impromptu Essay Junior Division, second place, Winburn Middle School.
- Zsombor Gal, Kentucky History Test Junior Division, first place, Winburn Middle School.
- Shelby Amato, Kentucky History Test Junior Division, second place, Winburn Middle School.
- Winburn Middle School, Impromptu Exhibit Junior Division, first place.
- Winburn Middle School, Kentucky History Bowl Junior Division, first place.
Hardin County
- Michaela Rothrock, Kentucky History Test Elementary Division, first place, Woodland Elementary.
- Woodland Elementary, Impromptu Exhibit Elementary Division, first place.
Pendleton County
- Mikinley Grace Lustenberg, Impromptu Essay Senior Division, first place, Pendleton County High School.
- Dalton Beck, Impromptu Essay Senior Division, second place, Pendleton County High School.
- Cullen Beard, Impromptu Essay Junior Division, first place, Phillip A. Sharp Middle School.
- Holly Bowman, Impromptu Essay Elementary Division, first place, Northern Elementary .
- Pendleton County High School, Impromptu Exhibit Senior Division, first place.
- Philip A. Sharp Middle School, Impromptu Exhibit Junior Division, first place.
- Northern Elementary, Kentucky History Bowl Elementary Division, first place.
