Three make national history

DeannaHila: Three junior high students from Bakersfield made a trip to the University of Maryland for the experience of competing at National History Day and came back as national champions. The competition ended on June 19 but far before their winning names were announced Fruitvale Junior High's trio of Deanna Arner, Hilary Clarke and William Jordan had a feeling things could be special.

Arner, Clarke and Jordan had come through as winners first at Kern County History Day on March 22. Then, at California History Day on May 12, they were crowned state champions which entitled them to compete at National History Day, June 16-19.

Before they left for Maryland, a good omen surfaced. The trio was invited to show its group documentary at the White House Visitor's Center on June 18, the day after it competed at National History Day and the day before the winners were announced.

"Ten students got chosen, and we were the only group documentary selected," Clarke said. "People visiting the center were able to see what we were doing and get an appreciation for what it takes to be a National History Day competitor. It was an honor to be picked."

Their entry was a junior division (grades 6-8) group documentary titled "The Little Rock Nine, Foot Soldiers for Freedom: A Test of Rights and Responsibilities." It dealt with African-American students who tried to attend Little Rock's Central High School in the 1957-58 school year. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus dispatched the Arkansas National Guard to block them from entering the school. President Dwight Eisenhower responded by sending federal troops to protect the students. The group had done their homework in producing the documentary, including interviewing five of the nine Central High students and CBS television reporter Mike Wallace.

galpinsilva: "We even corresponded with President Bill Clinton and got some great comments," said Jordan.

"We learned why the Little Rock Nine were fighting for their rights, but we also heard the segregationists' side of the story and reported that, too." Clarke added. "One of the competition's judging criteria is presenting a balanced perspective, and we made sure our entry had that."

Nationwide 700,000 students and 40,000 teachers participate annually in History Day competitions. By the time students win at the regional and state level, they are among an elite 2,000 who compete at National History Day.

"We didn't think we would get first place," Arner admitted. "We watched so many great entries that we had told each other it would be great to take third place. When they announced our names, we all jumped up at the same time, started screaming and hugging each other. We were blind to how good our project was, but we were so happy to win."

Four other Kern County entries reached the finals, which included the top 12 in each category. The senior division (grades 9-12) group documentary entry of Bakersfield High's Greg Noland, Jon Dickson and George Hay placed fourth. Thorner School's team of Brooke Vinson, Emily Silva and Kelsey Galpin placed sixth in junior division group performance. Fruitvale Junior High's Neil Bhambi placed ninth in junior division individual performance as did Centennial High's Sarah Franz, Cristina Pandol and Marilee Rickett in senior division group performance. Jackie Tapia of Thorner School finished tenth in junior division historical paper. Fruitvale Junior High's Heather Scott was a non-finalist in the junior division individual exhibit category.
Print This Page   Email This Page