February 15, 2024

Forty-one CCSD middle school students combined to win 22 medals and awards in the Northeast Georgia regional National History Day Contest at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education and Hotel on Saturday, Feb. 10, and qualified to advance to the state competition.

National History Day is a nationwide non-profit organization that operates an annual contest designed to engage students and enhance their research, literacy, and critical thinking skills through the discipline of history with a working theme. The 2024 theme was “Turning Points in History.” As part of the contest, students select a topic, decide whether to work individually or in a group, conduct research, analyze their findings, develop a thesis, and submit an entry in one of five categories — historical paper, website, documentary, exhibit, or performance. Students then present their project and defend their thesis before a panel of judges.

In the regional contest, Jay Braswell of Burney-Harris-Lyons (BHL) Middle School won the Overall Junior Division Award and first place in the Junior Individual Performance category for “Dear Mr. President.” Also, Ragen Watkins and Henry Ramirez of Hilsman Middle School won the Southern History Award for the Junior Division for their exhibit, “The History of Black Education in Athens, Georgia.” The duo’s submission also took third place in the Junior Group Exhibit category.

Other medalists from CCSD in each category are listed below. The National History Day state contest will be held April 20 at LaGrange College.

Documentary – Junior – Group

• 1st Place – Ariana Browner and Kaydon Jones, BHL Middle – “Let's Reach for New Heights and Fight for Women's Rights”
• 2nd Place – Abby Green and Neko Vick, Hilsman Middle — “Pattie Hilsman and the Development of Junior Highs”

Documentary – Junior – Individual

• 2nd Place – Stella Dawson, BHL Middle – “Lights, Camera, Action”

Exhibit – Junior – Group

• 1st Place – Amelia Aldridge, Ruby Nackashi, Olive Forrester, and Gabriela Carcamo, BHL Middle – “The Invention of the Radio”
• 2nd Place – Karim Lumpkin, Valeria Guerra Montiel, and Mary Jane Okoli, BHL Middle – “Coco Chanel: Revolutionizing Women's Fashion”

Exhibit – Junior – Individual  

• 1^st Place – Isabella Hammock, BHL Middle – “Da Awesome Da Vinci: A Man Ahead of His Time”
• 2^nd Place – Mackenna Kilpatrick, Clarke Middle – “The Women's Suffrage Parade”
• 3rd Place – Estrella Garcia-Rodriguez, Hilsman Middle – “The First Industrial Revolution and How It Destroyed Us”

Paper – Junior – Individual

• 1st Place – Alan Madera, Hilsman Middle – “The Integration & Re-segregation of Public Schools in America”
• 2nd Place – Treylon Johnson, Hilsman Middle – “King Assassination and the End of the Poor People's Campaign”
• 3rd Place – Senya Kero, BHL Middle – “Women's Liberation Movement”

Performance – Junior – Group

• 1st Place – Claire Salter, Courtney Muench, Jolie Garrett, and Emerson deDufour, Hilsman Middle – “The Titanic and Safety Boats”
• 2nd Place – Daniella Denmark, Damon Flint, and Jayden Stephens, Hilsman Middle – “Katrina Highlights National Inequalities”
• 3rd Place – Opal Hensley-Williams, Autumn Fayerweather, Sage Dennison, Luca McDonald, and Ryan Watkins, Hilsman Middle – “The First Drive Thru - McDonald's”

Website – Junior – Group

• 1st Place – Tiger Tabb, Jackson Rushing, Marlon McCranie, Joshua James, and Jonathan Carrillo Ramirez, BHL Middle – “Battle of Midway”

Website – Junior – Individual

• 1st Place – Charlie Crawford, BHL Middle – “Pearl Harbor, the Event that Changed the Trajectory of World War II”
• 2nd Place – Jude Cranston, BHL Middle – “Invasion of Afghanistan”
• 3rd Place – Parker Armstrong, Hilsman Middle – “The Military Tank”