Students qualify for National History Day contest

Four students from San Juan High School earned the right to represent Utah at the National History Day contest with a state championship effort at the Utah History Day State.
Staten Perkins, Kaitlyn Crippen, Emma Ward, and Sophia Redd presented the top senior group performance with their presentation Selma to Montgomery March: Triumph Over Tragedy.
In addition, five other San Juan High School students received honorable mention honors in the same category.
The Navajo Code Talkers was the focus of a presentation by Christian Cly, Tiana Sam, Riana James, Kristin Cly and Esperanza Lee.
The Code Talker performance also earned the Western History Prize, sponsored by the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University.
A total of 65 middle and high school students from schools throughout the state earned the right to represent Utah at the 2019 National History Day contest in Washington D.C. this June.
They accomplished this honor by placing first or second in their category at the Utah History Day State Contest on April 26.
Other local students who brought home honors include Tessa Goodwine of Monticello, who earned the World War I Prize, sponsored by the Utah World War I Commission, for her performance on An American World War I Mother’s Triumph and Tragedy.
In addition, San Juan High students Hayley Shumway, Brittany Grover, Tyler Shumway, and Madison Palmer earned a Trails & Rails Prize, sponsored by the Oregon-California Trails Association, Utah Crossroads Chapter. Their group exhibit is titled Journey to Zion.
Approximately 500 students competed at the State Competition. Exploring the theme “Triumph and Tragedy in History,” students created projects that included documentary films, museum exhibits, performances, websites, and research papers.
“I am so impressed with the scholarship of these young people,” said Dr Wendy Rex-Atzet, Utah History Day State Coordinator. “I am confident that the skills they have learned will continue to benefit them throughout their lives and will help them to become more engaged in their communities.”
Utah History Day and the Utah Division of State History thanked all of the teachers and volunteer judges for their support of the program and congratulated the winners of the 2019 State Contest.
More than half a million students worldwide participate in National History Day every year. In Utah, nearly 6,300 young scholars participated during this academic year. History Day students gain a deeper understanding of both the past and the present through their work.
Utah History Day (formerly called Utah History Fair) has operated continuously in Utah since 1980 and is the official National History Day affiliate program for the state.
Originally developed and housed at Utah State University, the program was transferred in 2014 to the Utah Division of State History in Salt Lake City.
More details about Utah History Day and National History Day can be found at history.utah.gov/utah-history-day.