Fifty-four students advance to State History Day

Fifty-four Goose Creek CISD students will advance to Texas History Day on May 3 after winning top honors at the Lee College Regional History Fair on March 1.  Those who earned first or second place at the regional level will compete in the state competition.

In the senior division, Hannah Black, student of Arlene Hastings-Hill at Ross S. Sterling High School, won first place for her individual exhibit, “And Still They Cry:  The Annexation of Hawaii.”  In the senior individual documentary category, William Whitley won first place for “Houston:  August 23, The Night Gunfire Was Heard,” with William Spears winning second place for “Sherman’s March to the Sea.”  They are both students of Donna Britt.

Tania Davila, also the student of Britt, won second place in the senior individual performance competition for “The Persecution of Latter Day Saints,” and Ryan Armstrong, the student of Maggie Eubanks, won second place for his individual historical paper, “Double Standard and the Double Shift:  Child Labor During the British Industrial Revolution.”

Kaitlyn Martin of Robert E. Lee High School won first place in the senior division for her interpretive web site, “Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote.” 

In the senior group exhibit category, Sterling’s Stuart Tiller and Clay Matthews, students of Amy Muller-Maddie, won first place for “The Berlin Wall:  Face of the Cold War Struggle to Find Compromise Before Devastating Conflict.”  Sterling’s Tiasha Harris, Rebecca Lucatero, Maricruz Diaz and Maria Ibarra, the students of Robin Richards, earned second place for “Salem Witchcraft Trials.”

In the senior group documentary category, the team of Jayson Lindley, Rodolfo Hernandez and Elli Ramirez earned first place for “A Lesson in Flame:  The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.”  They are students of Amy Muller-Maddie.  The team of Corey Cunningham, Jared Lee, Zachary Reeves and Matthew Sheek won second for “Japanese-American Internment:  Conflict Leads to Compromise of Rights.”  They are students of Donna Britt.

In the junior division, Gentry Junior School student Mary York, the student of Kelvin Swanzy, won first place for her historical paper, “Watergate:  A Nation in Denial.”  Horace Mann Junior School student Miroslava Zendejas, the student of James Fisher, earned second for “Mexican Immigration to the United States.”

In the individual documentary competition, four projects will advance to the state competition.  Winners include Aditi Singh of Horace Mann Junior School, student of Ami Liggett, for “Two Cases That Equalized the Races:  Plessy vs. Ferguson and Brown vs. Board of Education”; Juan Medina, student of Scott Griffin at Gentry Junior School, for “Apartheid in South Africa”; Charley Brown, student of Toni Rosenbaum at Gentry, for “Women in Aviation:  Conflict and Compromise”; and Chance Nerf, student of Peter Cushman and Jennifer Nerf at Baytown Junior,  for “Devastation, Starvation, Determination, Irish Immigration.”

In the junior individual exhibit category, Keller Thomas of Cedar Bayou Junior School won first place for “The Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902.”  She is the student of Caren Miller.  Leah Ramirez of Horace Mann Junior School won second for “The Secrets Within the Little Mountain.”  She is the student of James Fisher and Suzy Ferrell.

Elizabeth Monroe, student of Alexsia Shankle at Highlands Junior School, won second place in the junior individual performance category for “I am not Ebonics.” 

In the junior group documentary category, Katelyn Colvin, Alyssa Clift and Priya Patel won first place for “Three Countries United Divided.”  They are the students of Zerline McGinty at Highlands Junior School.  Baytown Junior School students Lauren Sparkes, Kaitlyn Kolarik and Caisey Arnold won second place for their documentary, “Black Seminoles Fight to Freedom.”  They are the students of William Hebert and Jennifer Nerf.

Earning first place in the junior group performance competition were students Lindsey Fess, Jordan Jacobs, Kristin Murray, Kyle Murray and Alexis Stafford with “History of Day Light Saving Time.”  They are students of Mary Snellings at Cedar Bayou Junior School.  Second place went to Baytown Junior School students Ray Hearon, Alexandra Connealy, Olivia Richard, Imani Lee and Katherine Sparkes, who performed “Ruby Bridges:  A Class of One.”  Their teachers are Wilda Neal and Lajena Smith James.

Daniel Crespo and Dalton Owens, students of Michelle Espinosa at Cedar Bayou Junior School, won first place for their group exhibit, “Trail of Tears.”  Earning second place in the group exhibit category were Jonathan Guajardo and Jesus Zepeda, students of James Fisher at Horace Mann, for “A Shining Light in Distress?”

Zach Newman, student of Kelvin Swanzy at Gentry Junior School, won first place for his interpretive web site, “Deep Throat:  Hero or Traitor.”  The team of Mayra Buenrostro, Lauren Bracewell, Jasmine Cangieter, Aubri Adams and Daniela Bravo won second place for “Civil Rights Movement.”  They are students of Mary Snellings at Cedar Bayou Junior School.