Historical Scholars to Compete in National History Day

Published April 27, 2021

Students at Spring Station Middle and Summit High are using their knowledge of history to make history of their own.

After earning top spots in the State competition, nine Williamson County Schools students will represent Tennessee at National History Day. Only 62 students from around the State were selected to advance.

Spring Station Middle students Aidan Russ, Austin Russ and Madeleine Russ earned first place in the Junior Group Website category. Aidan, Austin and Madeleine also received the Oral History Association Award for their excellent use of oral histories to create their project. Their peers from SSMS, Caroline Constantine and Emma Haddon, placed second in the Junior Group Exhibit category. This is the first time that two teams from Spring Station Middle have advanced to the National History Day competition in the same year.

"They are absolutely over the moon," said Spring Station Middle gifted teacher Christopher Harrod. "They are so proud of themselves and each other. This entire contest asks a lot from students, and it's an extremely intensive research study. These students were able to maintain a high level of intensity as they followed the vision they laid out for themselves. I couldn't be prouder of each of them."

From Summit High, Eli Martin's entry for Senior Individual Exhibit earned him first place. Alicia Dinwiddie and Jaqueline Dinwiddie, also from Summit High, placed first in the Senior Group Exhibit category. Summit High student Sophia Hall's project won her first place in the Senior Individual Paper category. This is Alicia’s fourth and Sophia’s second time to qualify for the national tournament. Jaqueline and Eli are both first-time qualifiers.

"These students are naturally curious and love learning," said Summit High Student Support Services teacher Jackie Zigelsky. "They chose their own topics and have become excellent researchers. When they learned about making it to the national tournament, they were elated to see the payoff of all their hard work."

History Day is a year-long competition in which students in middle and high school submit group or individual projects centering around the year's historical theme. This year's theme was Communications in History: The Key to Understanding. Students began researching topics at the beginning of the fall semester.

Due to COVID-19, the national competition June 13-17 will take place virtually instead of in Washington, D.C. Top finishers in each category will earn prestigious awards and scholarships.