Uniontown High history students to present projects

UNIONTOWN -- Area residents will have a chance to view award-winning student history projects during a special event at 7 p.m. April 11, in Uniontown, and visit with the students who created them.

A group of 23 Uniontown Junior Senior High School students are taking their winning history projects on to state competition later this month after advancing their projects at the Southeast Kansas History Day championships two months ago at Fort Scott Community College. Schools from six Southeast Kansas counties participated in the regional event. The state competition will take place Saturday, April 28, at Washburn University in Topeka.

Before that event takes place, the UJSHS students will be present to show off their projects during the special "Evening in History and Academics Night" program on Wednesday, April 11, in the UJSHS commons area, 601 Fifth St.

UJSHS students headed to state competition include the following:

* Junior Tanner Howard, for his individual documentary film titled "A Crack in the Edge of the World: The Story of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906";

* Juniors Katelyn Vincent, Jessie Camac and Julia Ayers, for their group documentary titled "Wilma Rudolph: From Polio Survivor to Olympic Medalist";

* Junior Emily Simpson, for her individual exhibit titled "From Prairie to Dust to Conservation: The Story of Soil on the Great Plains";

* Seniors Courtney Boyd, Kylie Shepard, Jessica Schaaf, and Koltan Schaaf, for their group exhibit titled "This Little Light of Mine," an exhibit on Civil Rights pioneer Fannie Hamer;

* Seniors Gage McKinnis, Kate Spainhoward, Travis Stewart, Melissa Query and Kaity Smith, for their group performance titled "A Light Darkness," a drama about a Catholic nun who hid children during the Holocaust;

* Senior Rebekah DeMoss, with her individual performance titled "Tragedy and Triumph in Pzemysl," a drama about a 17-year old girl who hides Jewish people in her attic during the Holocaust;

* Seniors Kiersten Elder, Jaime Shelton, Luke Spainhoward, and Wes Warren, for their group documentary film titled "Jim Thorpe, The World's Greatest Athlete";

* Seniors Hillary Jurgensen, Jayme Shank, Abbie Smith and Taylor Rathbun, for their documentary titled "Rockin' with Johnny Bragg," a film about the beginnings of rock and roll.

The public is invited to attend the program, to which admittance is free, but donations of $1 will be gratefully accepted, UJSHS history instructor Norm Conard said in a written statement.