WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN BRAZOS VALLEY REGIONAL HISTORY FAIR

  

When Brenham Junior High School student Brady Lawhorn heard about the theme for his school’s annual history, he knew it was the perfect opportunity to research deeper into the life of his distant relative, Samuel F.B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph and Morse code.

With a freshly published website in tow, the eighth grader joined approximately 160 junior high and high school students Friday as they put their historical knowledge on display during the 2019 Brazos Valley Regional History Fair at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site.

Sponsored by the Blinn College District’s Star of the Republic Museum and local businesses and organizations, the theme for this year’s fair was “Triumph and Tragedy in History.”

Entries were open to students in grades 6-12 who qualified for the regional competition by competing in their local school history fair.

Students from Brazos, Grimes, and Washington counties were present Friday, including students from the Bryan middle schools, Bryan High School, Anderson-Shiro High School, Brenham Junior High School, Navasota junior and senior high schools, and local homeschools. Competition categories included historical papers, exhibits, performances, websites, and documentaries.

“The history fair has really taught me how to better my research skills and stay on top of deadlines,” Lawhorn said. “This is my second year competing in history fair, and I can tell that my public speaking and web developing skills have definitely improved. It is a really fun experience.”

Blinn faculty, area educators, volunteers from local historical commissions, and history enthusiasts from the community judged the submissions. The two finalists in each category advance to the state competition April 27 in Austin. Winners at the state fair can advance to the National History Day competition held at the University of Maryland in June.

“The history fair is a great opportunity to engage students in history and allows them to be historians for the day,” said Lisa Berg, Star of the Republic Museum Curator of Education and coordinator of the Brazos Valley Regional History Fair. “It is very exciting to see the students share what they have learned throughout the year.”

Star of the Republic Museum is located at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site off state Highway 105. It was created by the Texas Legislature and is administered by Blinn College as a cultural and educational institution. Daily museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Star of the Republic Museum is accepting reservations for its Texas-themed escape room, Runaway Scrape Escape, held the third Saturday of each month. Based on historical events during the Texas Revolution, Runaway Scrape Escape allows visitors 45 minutes to solve a series of logic games to “escape” from the approaching Mexican Army led by the infamous Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

The escape room will be open Saturday, Feb. 16. For more information, call 936-878-2461 or visit www.starmuseum.org.

(Story Courtesy Blinn College)

DIVISION CHAMPIONS:

JUNIOR HISTORICAL PAPER

James Leman, Leman Homeschool – Rudder's Rangers: Securing D-Day Victory by Paying the Ultimate Price

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARY

Addison Schramme, Brenham Junior High School – Woman in the Workforce During World War II: The Tragedy of War Brings Triumph for Women

JUNIOR GROUP DOCUMENTARY

Natalie Bice, Gabriel Gomez, Aiden Monsivais, Juan Salas, and Alfred Wehmeyer, Stephen F. Austin Middle School – The Hindenburg

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE

Leah Hardy, Brenham Junior High School – Reaching for the Stars

JUNIOR GROUP PERFORMANCE

Kaylee Burnett, Marisa Goode, and Gianna Guedea, Arthur L. Davila Middle School – The Orphans of the Storm: The Story of St. Mary's Orphanage

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL EXHIBIT

Nya Farrow, Brenham Junior High School – Tragedy And Triumph At Tenerife

JUNIOR GROUP EXHIBIT:

Karyna Diaz, Cytlali Gante, Adriana Pruneda, Anna Munoz, and Violeta Ruiz, Arthur L. Davila Middle School – Selena Quintanilla-Perez

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL WEBSITE

Nicholas Panko, Brenham Junior High School – The Evacuation of Dunkirk

JUNIOR GROUP WEBSITE

Colby Ingram and Matthew Sosa, Navasota Junior High School – Prevailing and Calamity: The Effects of DACA on Texas

SENIOR HISTORICAL PAPER

Melisa Castillo, Navasota High School – The Stonewall Inn: The Catalyst for the Gay Rights Movement

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARY

San Juanita Sigona, Navasota High School – For the Future I Do's: Loving v. Virginia

SENIOR GROUP DOCUMENTARY

Carlos Briones, Erica Grifaldo, Adriana Peralta, and Hilario Rodriguez, Navasota High School – Freddie Mercury: The Show Must Go On

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL EXHIBIT

Jaime Garcia, Navasota High School – Who Lies Beneath

SENIOR GROUP EXHIBIT

Hunter Haug and Andrew Junek, Navasota High School – Prague Has Fallen: The Nazi Invasion of Czechoslovakia

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL WEBSITE

McKenna Holloway, Anderson-Shiro High School – The Triumphs of Alexander Hamilton and his Tragic Ending

SENIOR GROUP WEBSITE

Emily Ripkoski and Sarah Wisner, Navasota High School – The Innovative Town of Vanport, Oregon and the Flood that Washed It Away

SPECIAL AWARDS:

ALLEN COMMANDER MEMORIAL TEXAS HISTORY AWARD

Daniel Almanza, Navasota High School – Betrayal, Corruption, and Tragedy: The Indian Removal Act

ARTIE FULTZ DAVIS LEGAL HISTORY AWARD

Emily LaBlue, Navasota Junior High School – Dorothea Dix: The Mental Health Reform

BRAZOS COUNTY AWARD

Junior: Cymone Banks, Stephen F. Austin Middle School – Black Wall Street

GRIMES COUNTY AWARD

Junior: Emily LaBlue, Navasota Junior High School – Dorothea Dix: The Mental Health Reform

Senior: Cory Baldobino, Navasota High School – The Tragically Triumphant Genghis Khan

HAILEY THEATER ARTS AWARD

Junior: Kwincie Godfrey, Emily Laird, Melissa Ramirez, and Kierra Vigil, Arthur Davila Middle High School – Emmett Till

MIKE AND NINA HOPKINS MEMORIAL TEXAS HISTORY AWARD

Karyna Diaz, Cytlali Gante, Adriana Pruneda, Anna Munoz, and Violeta Ruiz, Arthur L. Davila Middle School – Selena Quintanilla-Perez

OUTSTANDING EXHIBIT DESIGN AWARD

Grace Droddy, Arthur L. Davila Middle School – Child Labor: Triumph and Tragedy

RELIGION IN AMERICA AWARD

Junior: Emmy Boyd, Brenham Junior High School – Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation

ROBERT RAINES CHAPTER DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AWARD

Zaria Tenorio, Navasota High School – Bittersweet Life on the Trail

STUDENT CHOICE AWARD

Junior: Tamia Bertram, Stephen F. Austin School – LGBTQ Equality

Senior: Johnny Dominguez, Diego Iniguez, Erik Peralta, Keith Steptoe, and Logan Vela, Navasota High School – Behind the Smoke

WASHINGTON COUNTY AWARD

Brooke Bentke, Brenham Junior High School – The Munich Olympics

WOMEN IN HISTORY AWARD

Junior: Leah Hardy, Brenham Junior High School – Reaching for the Stars

Junior: Emily LaBlue, Navasota Junior High School – Dorothea Dix: The Mental Health Reform

ZUBER—HADLEY CHAPTER DAUGHTERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS AWARD

Colby Ingram and Matthew Sosa, Navasota Junior High School – Prevailing and Calamity: The Effects of DACA on Texas