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Four Missouri Students Named Finalists in National History Day Competition

October 13, 2010

COLUMBIA, MO –Four Missouri students will be recognized as National History Day finalists for their research and projects revolving around the 2010 theme: “Innovation in History: Impact and Change,” today, Oct. 13 at the Missouri Humanities Council’s Governor’s Humanities Awards ceremony at Stephens College in Columbia, Mo.

National History Day is a nationwide program that encourages young people to explore history and teaches them to understand historical issues, ideas, people and events. Participants conduct in-depth research and analysis on individual topics related to an annual theme and present their findings through an exhibit, performance, documentary, website or research paper.

“The National History Day program is fantastic because it gets students doing hands-on research, teaches them to analyze their findings, and allows them to present their findings in a creative way, which helps bring their subjects to life, said Deborah Luchenbill, state coordinator of the National History Day in Missouri. “Participating in the National History Day program teaches students critical thinking and problem-solving skills which benefit them in all subject areas, it enhances their self-esteem, and it prepares them to be good and thoughtful citizens. It’s a lot of work and a lot of fun.”

More than 2,500 Missouri students in grades 6-12 participated in local and regional competitions throughout the state, with more than 500 advancing to the National History Day in Missouri state contest at the University of Missouri-Columbia in April.

Forty nine of Missouri’s top students then went on to represent the state as delegates to the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day competition at the University of Maryland at College Park in June, competing against more than 2,500 students from around the country. This year, four students from Missouri were selected as finalists at the national level:
• Patrick Lawhon of Pembroke Hill School, Kansas City, with teacher Sam Knopik was awarded first place for his project on the innovation of shipping containers, “The Box That Made the World Smaller.”

• Emily Duncan of Liberty Junior High School, Liberty, with teacher Inga Nordstrom-Kelly was awarded eighth place for her project, “The Discovery of Insulin: A Medical Marvel for the Sugar Sickness.”

• Justin Shock of Gideon Junior High, Gideon, with teacher James Breece was awarded ninth place with his project about the invention of Braille and the innovation for the blind community, “Out of Darkness.”

• Matt Vallorani of Holy Infant School, Ballwin, with teacher Bob Stevens was awarded ninth place for his project “Steam Engine & Industrial Revolution.”

The Missouri Humanities Council supports National History Day in Missouri with grants for communication and outreach activities and through board member involvement in organizing regional events, coaching students and judging submissions.

“National History Day teaches kids about the historical discipline and gets them excited, which isn’t always an easy feat,” said Joel Rhodes, Missouri Humanities Council board member and associate professor at Southeast Missouri State University. “The kids are able to learn by themselves, not just out of a text book. They get to become the historians.”

National History Day in Missouri is sponsored by the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia at the University of Missouri and The State Historical Society of Missouri. For more information on the 2011 National History Day competition, visit http://whmc.umsystem.edu/nhd/nhdmain.html.