(Pictured here are many of the students who recently earned an Honorable Mention or above at the annual Virginia National History Day at Radford University.)
Last year, Pulaski County sent 12 students to Radford University to compete in the Virginia National History Day competition. This year, after a lot of hard work and a tremendous recruiting effort, Pulaski County sent over 55 students to the event. Now, several of those students will advance to the State level competition in Richmond.
Pulaski County students, ranging from elementary school to middle school, submitted projects in several of the categories. At the end of the day, 10 projects qualified as either honorable mention through first place, with seven of those projects now advancing to the State event April 29-30 at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond.
Students from Pulaski County Middle School, Snowville Elementary, Critzer Elementary, and Pulaski Elementary were joined by students from Blacksburg, Floyd County, Northcross, Willis Elementary, Check Elementary, Indian Valley Elementary, and St. John Neumann Academy at the event.
At the event, students present a display board with photos, facts, and other information pertaining to their subject. They are then given the opportunity to give a presentation to two judges, and those judges are then able to ask them questions to determine their knowledge of the subject.
Pulaski County students had exhibits in four categories, including Elementary Individual, Elementary Group, Junior Individual and Junior Group exhibits. Students who finish in first through third place will advance to the State competition. Students who earn an honorable mention will serve as an alternate, should one of the top three not be able to make the trip.
In the Elementary Individual Exhibit category, three exhibits earned recognition. William Aydelotte of Pulaski Elementary earned an Honorable Mention for his “The History of Lego” exhibit. Mason Stiffler of Pulaski Elementary earned third place for his “Evolution of the Telephone” presentation. Nicholas Cregger of Critzer Elementary earned second place for his exhibit “World War 2.”
In the Elementary Group Exhibit category, the group of Camree Mitchell and Evangeline Hodge of Critzer Elementary earned an Honorable Mention for their “Why GMO Foods are Good” presentation. Oliver Nester and Oscar Reis of Pulaski Elementary School earned third place for their “Operation Overlord – D-Day” exhibit. Campbell Farrell and Kelson Delap of Critzer Elementary School earned second place for their “The Great Depression” presentation. Snowville Elementary School students Haven McKinney and Roland Thompson earned first place for their Titanic: A Maritime Marvel” presentation.
In the Junior Individual Exhibit category, Pulaski County Middle School student Remi Nolan earned an Honorable Mention for her ”Navajo Code Talkers” exhibit.
In the Junior Group Exhibit category, two groups were recognized. The group of Addisyn Viers, Bree Wilson, Gracianna Wimberly, and Megan Roe earned third place for their “Navajo Code Talkers” exhibit. The group of Ainsley Vaughan, Mackenzie Maiden, and Sarah Simpson earned second place for their presentation, “N.O.W.”
Mrs. Roxanne Souma, who coordinates the event for Pulaski County Public Schools, was excited with the growth and performance for the day.
“We are incredibly excited to see the recent growth of Pulaski County's participation in National History Day,” she said. “Last year, we had 12 students compete at the district level with two projects advancing to States. This year, our total student participation grew to over 55, with seven projects advancing to States. We are proud of our students and thankful for our teachers who are willing to put in the extra work to make this event happen.”
To see more photos from Virginia National History Day, visit this LINK.