(Posted April 2, 2009)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Students from 25 area middle and high schools interested in the individual person's impact on history competed Wednesday, April 1 in the 24th annual District History Day, held at Juniata College in Huntingdon.

First- through third-place finishers were announced in two divisions -- the junior division for grades six through eight, and the senior division for students in grades nine through 12. Each student prepared projects in keeping with this year's theme: "The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies." The History Day finals will be held May 6-7 at Millersville University in Millersville, Pa. The national finals are held June 14-15 at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md.

Students competed in nine categories: Historical paper (1,500-2,500 words, individuals only); individual exhibit; group exhibit; individual performance (such as short plays or interpretive readings); group performance; documentaries; group documentaries; individual Web page; and group Web page.
Participating schools were: Bedford Middle School; Bedford High School; Hollidaysburg Area High School; Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School; Huntingdon Area High School; Huntingdon Area Middle School; Juniata Valley Junior and Senior High School; Lewistown Area High School; Eichhorn Middle School; Strodes Mills Middle School; Middleburg High School; Park Forest Middle School; Mount Nittany Middle School; Selinsgrove Area Middle School; Selinsgrove Area High School; Shikellamy High School; Central High School; Spring Cove Middle School; Southern Huntingdon County High School; State College Area High School; Tyrone Area Middle School; Tyrone Area High School; Tussey Mountain Area Senior High School; and West Snyder Middle School. Several home-schooled students also competed.

Juniata College students studying in history, politics, secondary education, social studies, business, psychology and other programs served as judges for the competition.

The Local History senior division prize was awarded to Brittany Meier and Kate Schaper, 9th grade, State College Area High School, for "The Influence of Andy Warhol" The local history junior division prize went to "The Scotsman Who Changed America: George Macpherson Docherty," Anna Sajeski, Kaleb Isenberg, Allison Miller, Layne Reinhart, 8th grade, Juniata Valley Junior/Senior High School.

The Global History senior division prize was awarded to Miriam Roe, State College Area High School, for "Boudicaa, Forgotten Queen." The Global History junior division prize went to "Tenzing Norgay: The Second Man," Rachel Ladd, Debbie McGinnis, Scott Leighow, 6th grade, Donald H Eichhorn Middle School.

Full Results
Pennsylvania District History Day, 2009
Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pa.
April 1, 2009
"The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies"

I. Historical Paper
Senior Division

First Place: "Charles Darwin: An Idea That Changed the World, and Humanity's Place in It," Austin Moffa, 12th grade, Southern Huntingdon County High School.

Second Place: "Peter Shaffer," Nathaniel Otjen, 10th grade, Juniata Valley Junior High.

Third Place: "From Jubilee to Fifi: How Jane Goodall's Persistence Paid Off in her Work Among the Wild Chimpanzees of Gombe, Africa," Cecilia Grugan, 9th grade, Home School.


Junior Division

First Place: "Jose Marti: Apostle of Cuban Freedom Enrique Del Castilla, 6th grade, Mount Nittany Middle School.

Second Place: "Nature's Advocate: Rachel Carson and 'Silent Spring,'" Eleanor Tsai, 8th grade, Mount Nittany Middle School.

Third Place: "Poe and the Structure of Fear," William Grosholz-Edwards, 7th grade, Mount Nittany Middle School.

II. Individual Exhibits
Senior Division

First Place: "Benjamin Franklin," Anthony Pinter, 10th grade, Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School.

Second Place: "The Silent Gesture of Tommie Smith," Sarah McCoy, 11th grade, Lewistown Area High School.

Third Place: "James Dewey Watson," Kayley Swope, 10th grade, Tyrone Area High School.

Junior Division

First Place: "Frank Lloyd Wright: Founder of American Architecture," Lucas Smolcic-Larson, 8th grade, Huntingdon Area Middle School.

Second Place: "General John Pershing," Andrew Brumbaugh, 8th grade, Spring Cove Middle School.

Third Place: "Ray Kroc: The Making of McDonalds," G. Levi Putt, 8th grade, Tyrone Area Middle School.

III. Group Exhibits
Senior Division

First Place: "Nikola Tesla," Shawn Keister, Hunter Steele, Sean Lane, Nick Moist, 10th grade, Juniata Valley Junior/Senior High School.

Second Place: "Forging Her Medal: The Story of Mary E. Walker," Rachel Fry, Marissa Witkovsky, 10th grade, Central High School.

Third Place: "Alexander the Great," Jason Prokop (12th), Matthew Prokop, 9th grade, Central High School.

Junior Division

First Place: "The Scotsman Who Changed America: George Macpherson Docherty," Anna Sajeski, Kaleb Isenberg, Allison Miller, Layne Reinhart, 8th grade, Juniata Valley Junior/Senior High School.

Second Place: "Jack the Ripper," Kate Bock, Michaila Kruis, 8th grade, Tyrone Middle School.

Third Place: "Jesse James," Emily Thatcher, Jacob Claar, Zack Miller, 8th grade, Juniata Valley Junior/Senior High School.

IV. Individual Performance
Senior Division

First Place: "Thomas Alva Edison: Builder of Civilization," Sabrina Walter, 9th grade, Selinsgrove Area High School.

Second Place: "Martha Graham: A Dancer to Remember," Abigail Kerstetter, 6th grade, Selinsgrove Area High School.

Junior Division

First Place: "A Bite Out of the Apple: The Steve Jobs Story," Stephen Dowdy, 8th grade, Huntingdon Area Middle School.

V. Group Performance
Senior Division

First Place: "An American Hero," Megan Harrington, Annie Eichelman, 9th grade, Huntingdon Area High School.

Second Place: "Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole: Valiant Actions, Partial Legacies," Teresa Donnellan, Nora Adams, Mikala Hursh, Cara Rangaswamy, 9th grade, State College Area High School

Junior Division

First Place: "Shakespeare's Legacy: The Play," Jeff Noa, Autumn Farrell, Olivia Stahl, 6th grade, Mount Nittany Middle School.

VI. Individual Documentary
Senior Division

First Place: "Boudicaa: Forgotten Queen," Miriam Roe, State College Area High School.

Second Place: "Josephine Baker," Briana Hazlip, 11th grade, Huntingdon Area High School.

Second Place: "The Henry Ford Legacy," Dustin Williams, Bedford High School.


Junior Division

First Place: "Jonas Salk and the Battle Against Polio," Noah Beattie-Moss, 6th grade, Mount Nittany Middle School.

Second Place: "Apollo 11: Man on the Moon," Alex Woskob, 7th grade, Mount Nittany Middle School.


Third Place: "Conrad Weiser: An Early American Diplomat," Anthony Wagner, 8th grade, Bedford Middle School.


VII. Group Documentary
Senior Division

First Place: "The Influence of Andy Warhol," Brittany Meier, Katie Schaper, 9th grade, State College Area High School.

Second Place: "Individuals: Actions and Legacies -- Walt Disney," Avery Welsh, James Russell, Ariane Miller, 10th grade, Tyrone Area High School.

Third Place: "Robert S. S. Baden-Powell: The Man Who Influenced the World," Jacob Ross, Isaiah Shipman, 10th grade, Selinsgrove Area High School.


Junior Division

First Place: "Defying Gravity: The Legacy of Amelia Earhart," Eleanor Gilmore, Victoria Staley, Marisa Baronio, 8th grade, Mount Nittany Middle School.

Second Place: "Tenzing Norgay: The Second Man," Rachel Ladd, Debbie McGinnis, Scott Leighow, 8th grade, Donald H. Eichorn Middle School.

Third Place: "Jacques Cousteau: Man of the Sea," Clara Allison, Tamar Schejter, 7th grade, Mount Nittany Middle School.

VIII. Web Page/Individual

Senior Division

First Place: "John Red Pollard," Kelsey Miles, 11th grade, Huntingdon Area High School.

Second Place: "John Brown," Sarah Smith, 11th grade, Huntingdon Area High School.

Junior Division

First Place: "Marie Antoinette: The Fact, the Fiction and the Legacy," Christie Jiang, 8th grade, Mount Nittany Middle School.

Second Place: "Benjamin Franklin," Emmett Eldred, 8th grade, Hollidaysburg Area Junior School.


IX. Web Page/Group

Senior Division

First Place: "Neil Armstrong," Sean Cummins, Trey Gibbs, Justin DeArmitt, Matt Smith, 11th grade, Huntingdon Area High School.

Junior Division

First Place: "Bob Marley: A Legacy," Cullen Ormond, 7th grade, Park Forest Middle School.

Second Place: "Arthur Rex: The Once and Future King," Henry Ziegler, Ian Gregory, Tim Gilpatrick, 8th grade, Mount Nittany Middle School.

Third Place: "Van Gogh: Artist of the Ages," Kimberly Klima, Katherine Nese, 7th grade, Mount Nittany Middle School.



VII. Local History Award
Senior Division
"The Scotsman Who Changed America: George Macpherson Docherty," Anna Sajeski, Kaleb Isenberg, Allison Miller, Layne Reinhart, 8th grade, Juniata Valley Junior/Senior High School.



Junior Division

"The Influence of Andy Warhol," Brittany Meier, Katie Schaper, 9th grade, State College Area High School.

Global History Prize

Senior Division

"Boudicaa: Forgotten Queen," Miriam Roe, State College Area High School.

Junior Division

"Tenzing Norgay: The Second Man," Rachel Ladd, Debbie McGinnis, Scott Leighow, 8th grade, Donald H. Eichorn Middle School.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.