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Vergennes High School Students Excel at Vermont History Day Competition

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Tuesday April 17, 2007

    What do Alexander the Great, Nelly Bly, Mother Mary Jones, Ethan Allen, The Triangle Waist Fire, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Barbaro, Stephen Hawking, the Battle of Thermopylae, Mary Cassatt, Carleton's Raid, Vermont Veterans, Jesse Owens, Ray Charles, Rachel Carson, reenactments, and the personal story of one American immigrant have in common? They were all, in some form, on a bus Saturday, bound for the Vermont History Day competition. They were there as exhibit boards, documentaries, performances and historical papers. They each represented the conservatively 40 plus hours of research by a VUHS high school student or member of the Otter Creek History Club, and were all linked to this year's theme of Tragedy and Triumph in history. They all were stories from the past that needed to be told. They were the culmination of a month's worth of
work and countless revisions that taught the students involved research skills,
communication skills, interviewing skills and an appreciation for linking past and present.

    At the end of the competition and the day, six VUHS and Otter Creek History Club members emerged with state championships and the right to travel to Washington DC the week of June 10-14th to be a part of the Vermont delegation. They were sophomore Jessica Sturtevant and her portrayal of her long past grandfather as a member of the Carleton's raid events. Also selected for group exhibits were the brother and sister team of Kim and Bobby Worley and their board on historical reenactments. Kendall Wyckoff took home top honors in the senior documentary category with her entry on Eleanor of Aquitaine. Rounding out the winners was Otter Creek Student History club member Erin Connor and her individual exhibit on Mary Jones. All 26 competitors were well received and learned a great deal about the competition process as most were first time competitors. These wins round out the competitive season for VUHS who have entered over 100 students this year in speech, writing and history competitions.   

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