TACOMA – June 23 - Washington student Amy Christianson was awarded the top National History Day (NHD) prize at the awards ceremony held June 19 at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. The David van Tassel Founder Award is given each year to a student who demonstrates academic excellence and a dedication to historical study through competition in the NHD program. The prize includes a full tuition scholarship to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Amy won for “The Spotted Owl: The Conflict that Caused Life Changing Compromise,” an exhibit she created with her sister, Audrey Christianson. Amy is home-schooled by her mother, Elizabeth. They live in Stanwood, Wash. This is Amy’s second year competing in the national contest.
Amy’s win is just one of many successes reached by Washington students in this year’s national competition. Bothell's Dana Floberg won bronze for her senior paper on the Treaty of Versailles, and Sequim's Hillary Smith won bronze for her junior paper on Belva Lockwood, the first woman to argue before the United States Supreme Court. Simone Prince-Eichner of Lummi Island won silver for her junior individual performance on Makah whaling, and Coupeville's Laura Harkins won the first-ever gold awarded in the junior Web site category for her project on Northwest Coast potlatching. Ruthie Hawley of Silverdale (senior individual documentary) and Tessa King of Redmond (junior individual performance) each won Outstanding State Medals. Nathan Maris of Sammamish won the United States Marine Corps History Special Prize.
Other top finishers for Washington are: Tessa King of Redmond, 4th place, junior individual performance; Helen Lee and Sophie Fleuret of Redmond, 5th place, junior group exhibit; Ruthie Hawley of Silverdale, 6th place, senior individual documentary; Anna Tran, Alyssa Crosby and Maddie Bear of Vancouver, 7th place, junior group performance; Erin Altenhof-Long of Vancouver, 7th place, junior individual documentary; Emily Najar and Madalyn Schei of Stanwood, 8th place, junior group exhibit; Ryan Knott and Bojan Francuz of Stanwood, 10th place, senior Web site; Emily Kreifels of Silverdale, 13th place, senior individual performance.
Washington placed second in the category medal count, winning more than any state except Iowa. In all, 51 students from Washington participated in the national contest.
National History Day is an innovative education program for students in grades 6-12 who are interested in improving their historical knowledge in a fun and challenging environment. Each year, students choose a topic congruent with an annual theme, conduct research, then synthesize and analyze their findings into a paper, exhibit, documentary or performance, or Web site. The 2007-2008 theme was “Conflict and Compromise in History.”
Washington students entered one of seven regional contests, held in February and March around the state. The highest-ranked entries advanced to the state competition, held April 26 at the University of Washington, Seattle. First and second place winners went on to compete in the national contest, held June 15-19 at the University of Maryland, College Park.
The first History Day contest in Washington was held in 1982, with around 125 participants. In 2007, that number was up to around 5,000 participants. For more information about Washington History Day, visit the Education section of WashingtonHistory.org. You may also contact Washington History Day coordinator Lauren Danner at 360/586-0165 or at ldanner@wshs.wa.gov. For information about the national competition, visit www.nationalhistoryday.org.
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About the Washington State History Museum
The Washington State History Museum, flagship of the Washington State Historical Society, is located
at 1911 Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma, just off 1-5. The Washington State History Museum presents
exhibits, programs, and events that bring to life the stories of Washington's history. The Washington State
Historical Society has been dedicated to collecting, preserving, and vividly presenting Washington's rich
and varied history since 1891.
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