St. Paul, Minn. (June 15, 2017) — Research about Margaret Sanger, Rachel Carson, Norman Borlaug, the Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, and spying by the FBI helped five Minnesota entries be selected as medal winners at the 2017 National History Day competition. In addition to the medal-winning entries, Minnesota had seven other national finalist projects.
Minnesota’s top entry was a research paper by Ingrid Mundt from Capitol Hill Gifted and Talented Magnet School in St. Paul. Ingrid’s paper on Margaret Sanger was recognized as a national champion after two rounds of judging.
Awards were announced today, Thursday, June 15, in a ceremony at the University of Maryland, College Park. A total of 61 Minnesota students from across the state joined more than 3,000 other students from across the nation in the week-long competition.
The students, representing grades six through 12, presented exhibits, papers, documentaries, performances and websites that showed off months of research into topics based on the 2017 National History Day theme: “Taking a Stand in History.”
The top three national finishers in each category earn monetary awards. First place receives $1,000, second place receives $500 and third place receives $250. National History Day also recognizes one outstanding state entry in each division, junior and senior, with a medal.
Medal winners:
-
Ingrid Mundt, Capitol Hill Gifted and Talented Magnet School, St. Paul: 1st Place, Junior Paper, “Margaret Sanger: Taking a Stand for Birth Control”
-
Grace Philippon, Twin Cities German Immersion School, St. Paul: 2nd Place, Junior Paper, “Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring: Standing Up for Women, Science, and the Environment”
-
August Butterworth, Chaska Middle School East, Chaska: 3rd Place, Junior Individual Documentary, “The 1971 Burglary: The Citizens Commission to Investigate the FBI: Taking a Stand Against Illegal Government Spying”
-
Audrey Faricy, Sruthi Subramanian, Sebastian Helgeson, Parkview Center School, Roseville: 3rd Place, Junior Group Documentary, “Planting Seeds to End World Hunger: Norman Borlaug’s Fight Against Famine”
-
Aliyah Hamlin, Sunrise Park Middle School, White Bear Lake. 3rd Place: Junior Individual Exhibit, “Loving v. Virginia”
Other top finishers from Minnesota:
-
Samuel Skinner, Murray Middle School, St. Paul: 5th Place, Junior Individual Website, “An Ordinary American, An Extraordinary Stand: Korematsu v. United States.” Skinner’s project also won Minnesota’s Junior Division Outstanding State Entry.
-
Erin Boehme, DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis: 5th Place, Senior Paper, “Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring: The Book that Caused an Environmental Uproar”
-
Zoe Campion, Elsa Carlson, Maddie Simon, Open World Learning Community, St. Paul: 6th Place, Junior Group Documentary, “Temple Grandin: Taking a Stand Against Autism Stereotypes”
-
Oliver Paleen, Zach Glaser, Highland Park Senior High School, St. Paul: 6th Place, Senior Group Documentary, “Epperson v. Arkansas: The Evolution Revolution”
-
Grace Kellar-Long, Sam Kellar-Long, Open World Learning Community, St. Paul: 6th Place, Senior Group Performance, “What is a City but the People? Jane Jacobs’ Stand Against the Lower Manhattan Expressway”
-
Katelynn Dorschner, Jackson County Central High School, Jackson: 7th Place, Senior Individual Exhibit, “‘Can’t Learn on Empty Stomachs’: The Black Panther Party Takes a Stand.” Dorschner’s project also won Minnesota’s Senior Division Outstanding State Entry.
-
Sullivan Gunderson, Alexander Lockwood, Ernest Mattson, Oreoluwa Olusi, Sunrise Park Middle School, White Bear Lake: 9th Place, Junior Group Exhibit, “Don Haskins”
National History Day in Minnesota is a co-curricular historical research program that builds college readiness and communication skills for middle and high school students. 27,000 students from over 250 schools participate in Minnesota each year. The program in Minnesota is a partnership of the Minnesota Historical Society and the University of Minnesota, College of Liberal Arts. Program support for is also provided by the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. For more information, visit education.mnhs.org/historyday.
The Minnesota Historical Society is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.
The Minnesota Historical Society is supported in part by its Premier Partners: Xcel Energy and Explore Minnesota Tourism.
