Barton Junior High School 7th and 8th graders demonstrated their knowledge of history on Saturday when they presented their projects for the National History Day competition at the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources.
AMNR interpreter Paige Creed said the museum was hosting the competition for the second year running. On Saturday, the 14 finalists faced off with their projects focused on a range of historical topics, from women's suffrage to the history of country music.
"It's a national contest happening in each state. [AMNR] is the host for Region 5 in Arkansas... We recruit out to the schools here, 7th grade to seniors. This year we started out with 400 projects they did at Barton and it boiled down to, altogether, 14 projects," Creed said.
Categories in Saturday's competition included group performance, group exhibits and individual exhibits and judges included AMNR personnel along with personnel from local school districts and colleges.
"It's a lot like a science fair -- but for history," Creed said.
The day concluded with an award's program presented by Arkansas Speaker of the House Rep. Matthew Shepherd (R-El Dorado).
"History... has always been important to me. Particularly now, in politics, we need to remember our past so we can learn from it and hopefully make a path to a better future," Shepherd told the students during the presentation.
Also during the award ceremony, Barton Junior High history teacher Olivia Reeves was awarded the Fountain/Landreth Teacher Award, which Shepherd said is given to one teacher each year in Arkansas.
Reeves, Shepherd said before presenting her with the award, judged last year's Region 5 National History Day competition and spearheaded BJH students' involvement in the program.
"400 students [worked] on a History Day project for the first time. [Reeves] was instrumental in helping her colleagues and students every step of the way," he said.
Students with top three presentations will go on to the state competition on April 6 at UCA in Conway. The 2024 National Contest will be held June 9–13 at the University of Maryland in College Park MD.
Award winning presentations included:
Group Performance Category
First Place -- Slavery as a Turning Point by Juan Colegio, Zamarria Glasgow, Andre Harper, and Oshea Hampton (not present at contest)
Second Place -- Hercules Mulligan by Clayton Austin, Bryson Carr, and Trenton Fairris
Group Exhibits Category
First Place -- The Legacy of Jack the Ripper by Zy'Rhihanna Chambers and Isabella Rivas
Second Place -- Women's Suffrage by Carter Brooks and Zohan Bhimani (not present at contest)
Third Place -- The Gold Rush by Bradley Marlin, Carson Mills, and George Skinner
Individual Exhibits Category
First Place -- Anesthesia 1846 by Melissa Hernandez
Second Place -- The Devastation of Small Pox and the Ripple Effects by Madison Smith
Third Place -- The History of Country Music by Persephone Perez
Arkansas Speaker of the House Matthew Shepherd presented awards at National History Day Saturday, including to group exhibit first place winners Zy'Rhihanna Chambers and Isabella Rivas. (Matt Hutcheson/News-Times)
The projects for National History Day focused on a range of historical subjects. (Matt Hutcheson/News-Times)