Kentucky Historical Society
KHS Announces 2011 District Five Kentucky History Day Winners

FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 25, 2011)— Students from around the Commonwealth were rewarded for their efforts at the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) 2011 Kentucky History Day (KHD) district five contest at Eastern Kentucky University on Saturday, March 19.

KHD is part of the National History Day program, which is an annual, year-long program designed to promote teaching and learning history in America’s schools. Students analyze the historical significance of their topics and present conclusions in dramatic performances, imaginative exhibits, multimedia documentaries, websites and research papers to audiences throughout the country. The theme for this year’s contest is “Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures and Consequences.”

“A recent national study confirmed that students who participate in National History Day outperform their non-participating peers in all subjects, not just history. These students are better-prepared for college, are better writers and researchers, are more confident in their abilities, and outperform their peers on standardized testing in all subject areas. Also, by researching into the past, they become enthusiastic about history and its relevance to their present lives,” said Tim Talbott, KHS education project assistant and KHD coordinator.

Four schools, two counties and 68 students participated in the district five contest in hopes of advancing to the state contest on April 30 at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in Frankfort. The top three students in each category received a medal, while all finishers in the top five received recognition and will advance to the state competition.

Winner(s), School, Place, Division, Category and Project:

Clark County
• Chandler Dawson—Clark County Middle School, first place, junior paper, “The Healthcare Debate: 2010”
• Madison Sharp, Jennifer Stephens, Emily Hannon, Katilyn Marsh and Katie Franklin—Clark County Middle School, second place, junior group documentary, “Television: The True Bias of the Nixon vs. Kennedy Debates”
• Jordan Toler, Nicholas Johnson and Zackary Crank—Clark County Middle School, first place, junior group website, “Hiroshima Bombs”
• Richard Roche, Nick Sladie, Kade Sidwell, Cameron McQuerry and Zane Logan—Clark County Middle School, second place, junior group exhibit, “JFK Assassination: The Mob Conspiracy”
• Cateria Harper, Michelle Helgeson and Kaylee Callaghan—Clark County Middle School, third place, junior group exhibit, “Woman’s Suffrage in America”
• Allyson Ledford, Lindsey Ritchie, Hayden Grissam and Janna Haggard—Clark County Middle School, fifth place, junior group exhibit, “Music Censorship: Through the Years”
• Brittany Woodrum and Avicia Rodgers—George Rogers Clark High School, first place, senior group exhibit, “Ping Pong Diplomacy”

Rockcastle County
• Casey Walker—Rockcastle County Middle School, first place, junior individual performance, “When is the End of the Debate? A Look Inside”
• Will Walker—Rockcastle County Middle School, first place, senior individual performance, “Who Can I Trust? A Decade of Doubt and Deception”
• Anna Poynter and Hannah Hillard—Rockcastle County Middle School, first place, junior group documentary, “Brown vs. Board of Education: The Debate over Racial Segregation”
• Shelby Ponder and Deanna Alexander—Rockcastle County Middle School, first place, junior group exhibit, “Hysteria in Salem”
• Rachel Blair and Chelsea Fleming—Rockcastle County Middle School, fourth place, junior group exhibit, “CoCo Chanel: The Fashionable Debate”

The National History Day program culminates with the national competition at the University of Maryland each June.

For more information on KHD, visit www.history.ky.gov/kjhs and click National History Day, or contact Tim Talbott at 502-564-1792.