Revolution, Reaction and Reform was the topic that the History Day presenters had to demonstrate. (L-R, seated) Matea Acero, Trace McQuatters, Will Seaton. (L-R, back) Roman Schnobrich, Ian Nelson, Sean MacDonell, Jaret Baker, Owen Anderson, Leo Johnson, Frankie Miller, Sarah Carman, Lily Gruber-Schulz, Madison Roy. (Not pictured: Rory Bakke, MaeAnna LaFavor.)
Cook County scholars have shone recently in competitions like the National Geographic Geography Bee and Knowledge Bowl. On March 31, Cook County Middle School students once again showed their intellectual power at the History Day regional event at the University of Minnesota- Duluth.
All of the students in Dorie Carlson and T.J. Super’s eighth-grade classes completed History Day projects on the theme Revolution, Reaction and Reform.
However, each school in the History Day competition can send only 15 students. To narrow the field, four juniors who had competed in History Day in the past acted as judges. Carlson said it was fun to see the former students serving that role. “They were very intent on how the presentations demonstrated the history aspect,” said Carlson.
History Day presentations could be made in five categories: performance, essay, website, documentary or exhibit.
Earning honorable mentions at the regional competition were MaeAnna LaFavor, Jaret Baker, and a joint project of Frankie Miller and Owen Anderson.
Heading to the state History Day competition on April 29 is Sean MacDonell with his performance of Ernesto Guevara and Will Seaton and Roman Schnobrich with their exhibit on the migrant workers’ revolution.
All of the students said they learned a lot doing the research for the History Day projects. They saw the good—and bad— side of some revolutionary characters. Asked if they picked characters who were heroes, several students laughed. “Not mine,” said Sean MacDonell of Ernesto Guevara.
Trace McQuatters and Matea Acero emphatically shook their heads. Their historical figure was Adolf Hitler!
Others did select heroes, such as Madison Roy and Lily Gruber-Schulz who shared the history of the space race and Roman Schnobrich who said the presentation he worked on featured Caesar Chavez, who he felt was a hero. Leo Johnson said his presentation on Jackie Robinson definitely featured a hero.
Jaret Baker, who created a documentary on the fur trade, noted that his presentation focused on the history of our area. He received an honorable mention.
Asked if it was fun, students nodded, but Gruber-Schulz added, “It’s a lot of work!”
Cook County students had a variety of entries and awards such as:
PERFORMANCE
MaeAnna LaFavor
Dorothy Molter: The Root
Beer Lady of the BWCA
Honorable Mention
Sean MacDonell
Agrarian Land Reform
in Guatemala:
Told Through the Eyes
of Ernesto Guevara
Advanced to state
EXHIBIT
Ian Nelson
The Berlin Wall
Will Seaton and
Roman Schnobrich
The Migrant Worker
Revolution
Advanced to state
Matea Acero and
Trace McQuatters
Adolf Hitler:
Family Life to a Revolution
Lily Gruber-Schulz
and Madison Roy
The Great Space Race
Frankie Miller and
Owen Anderson
Miracle on Ice:
A Cold War Revolution
Honorable Mention
Leo Johnson and
Rory Bakke
Jackie Robinson
WEBSITE
Sara Carman
Censorship
DOCUMENTARY
Jaret Baker
The Fur Trade
Honorable Mention
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