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History Day competitors heading to state in April
Some 20-25 students from Fort Scott and surrounding areas showed their prowess in everything from creating documentaries to websites, exhibits and performances at the 8th Annual History Day on Saturday.
The event was held in the auditorium of the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the Fort Scott Community College campus. Along with youngsters from Christian Learning Center and Fort Scott Christian Heights, participants also came from Ottawa, Iola and Pittsburg.
This year's theme was "Debate & Diplomacy: Successes, Failures, Consequences." At Kansas History Day, students have a chance to celebrate, explore and exhibit history.
District Coordinator John Seal, an FSCC history instructor, said everyone from this year's competition will move on to the state championships April 23 at Washburn University in Topeka. First- and second-place winners from state move on to nationals in College Park, Md.
First and second-place district winners go to Topeka automatically, but this year the state allowed third place winners to compete as well. Seal said the 12 judges on Saturday had to find the third-place projects worthy of state -- and they all were.
Medals and lapel pins were awarded to students at an awards ceremony following the competition.
"You're all winners," Seal said. "The judges wanted me to tell you one thing -- you're all awesome. I enjoyed everything I saw."
Joseph Fischer and Savanna Sullivant from Christian Learning Center produced a documentary called "Partners in Crime" about Hiram Bingham IV, U.S. vice consul in Marseilles, France, just before World War II. According to Internet references, Bingham defied his government's restrictive immigration policies by running an underground railroad out of his villa. Both Jewish and non-Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler sought life-saving visas from Bingham from 1940-41.
Fischer said the whole project took about nine weeks.
"We did some basic research on the Holocaust and were intrigued with some of the rescuers," Fischer said. "Hiram Bingham was lesser known, but just as intriguing. We were interested to see how the debates in the U.S. personally affected him."
Madyson McColm and Lil Hall from Fort Scott Christian Heights staged a senior group performance titled "It's Normal to Be Different: Gunnar Dybwad's Debate." Dybwad, who died in September 2001 at age 92, was an early and prominent advocate for people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities, according to a New York Times obituary.
The Times obituary said Dybwad had a role in more than a dozen federal lawsuits advocating civil rights for people with mental disabilities. Two of the cases went to the Supreme Court, and in both the court handed down decisions that affirmed the right to treatment and education of developmentally disabled children, the Times said.
McColm said she and her partner had been interested in the rights of the disabled. She said Dybwad worked to de-institutionalize developmentally delayed youngsters and mainstream them.
In preparation for state competition, McColm said she and Hall would "go by what the judges were saying.
"The judges here were really tough. The judges there will be even tougher. We'll probably revise a lot of it."
Hannah Maus and Clare Gorman from St. Mary's Colgan in Pittsburg created the junior group website called "Father Benjamin Petit and the Trail of Death." According to Internet references, Petit was a Catholic missionary sent to the Potawatomi nation of Native Americans in Indiana in 1837.
In 1838, when the United States forced the removal of a band of 859 Potawatomi from the Plymouth, Ind., area to the present-day site of Osawatomie, Kan., Petit went with them on most of the two-month march, now called the Potawatomi Trail of Death. More than 40 Potawatomi died of disease and the stress of the march and Petit also got sick, according to Wikipedia. He died in February 1839 in St. Louis, the information said.
"We were wanting to do a project close to home, maybe about Native Americans. We did some research and found out it fit the theme," Gorman said.
"Also, we're Catholic, so the Catholicism was a bonus," Maus said.
The two plan to tweak their site a bit more before April's contest. "We're going to work on the points the judges made," Gorman said.
Moving on to state
Christian Learning Center coaches were Gloria Fischr, Tiffany Sullivant, Amanda Gilmore and James Stark. Fort Scott Christian Heights coaches were Karen Schellack and Megan Felt and Norm Conard from the Lowell Milken Center.
Junior and senior documentaries
"Agent Hero and the Man Who Saved the World;" Junior Group Documentary; Shawn Sullivant, Marley Davis, Noah Fischer, Christian Learning Center, Fort Scott.
"Partners in Crime;" Senior Group Documentary; Joseph Fischer, Savanna Sullivant; Christian Learning Center, Fort Scott.
Junior and senior exhibits
"This Was My Choice: The Defection of Igor Gouzenko;" Senior Group Exhibit; Anna Stone, Lindsay Frank; Ottawa Senior High School.
"Water, Water Everywhere But Not Enough to Share;" Junior Group Exhibit; Abigail Taylor, Clara Wicoff; Iola Middle School.
Junior and senior performances
"It's Normal to Be Different: Gunnar Dybwad's Debate;" Senior Group Performance; Madyson McColm, Elizabeth Hall; Fort Scott Christian Heights.
"The Giants Wore White Gloves;" Senior Individual Performance; Theresa Schafer; Fort Scott Christian Heights.
"Clarina Nichols: Pioneering Women's Rights;" Junior Group Performance; Lauren Stark, Jamie Bond, Shelby Hutchison; Christian Learning Center, Fort Scott.
"Solidarity: A Striking Success;" Senior Group Performance; Mary Fischer, Madelyn Stark; Christian Learning Center.
Junior and senior websites
"Crawford's Near Victory in a Case for Integration;" Junior Group Website; Alex Bilmore, Benjamin Fischer, Trenton Allison, Levi Zustiak; Christian Learning Center, Fort Scott.
"Father Benjamin Petit and the Trail of Death;" Junior Group Website; Hannah Maus, Clare Gorman; St. Mary's Colgan, Pittsburg.