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Vermont Students Win Best Of State Prizes For Historical Exhibits

photo provided Elle Ross

photo provided Hannah Sturtevant

photo provided Andrew Rainville

Tuesday July 7, 2009

    National History Day finals were held June 14-18 at the University of Maryland near Washington, D.C. A delegation of Vermont students who placed first or second at the Vermont History Day state competition in April participated in the national competition.

    Twenty-six local students attended the Washington event—this year’s theme was “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies.” Andrew Rainville from Mount Abraham Union High School in Bristol and Hannah Sturtevant from Vergennes Union High School received the Best of the State prizes—Rainville for his exhibit on John Deere and Sturtevant for her J. Edgar Hoover exhibit. Elle Ross of Clarendon’s Mill River Union High School and Holly Cloutier from Black River High School in Ludlow also ranked in the top third (papers and exhibits, respectively).

    Senator Leahy and Representative Welch met the students on the Capitol steps in Washington. Students presented the government officials with Vermont History Day buttons and took the opportunity to have photographs taken with the famous historical dome providing the backdrop.

    Vermont History Day is an education program that encourages students to study history and it provides the opportunity to share the knowledge they have gained. The program is open to Vermont students in grades six through twelve, including home study students. Working individually or in small groups, students choose an historical event on a topic related to the National History Day annual theme. With research done in libraries, museums, and historical societies, as well as interviews and site visits to explore their topic, students prepare papers, exhibits, documentaries, web sites, or performances as entries.    The entries are then judged by local historians, educators, and other professionals. Through their work, students gain a deeper understanding of how people, cultures, and events affect the course of history.

    The Vermont Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that operates the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier, the Leahy Library in Barre, and programming throughout the state.  Established in 1838, its purpose is to reach a broad audience through outstanding collections and statewide outreach. The Vermont Historical Society believes that an understanding of the past changes lives and builds better communities. Visit the Society’s web site at www.vermonthistory.org for directions, admission fees, and hours, or call K-12 Programs Manager Victoria Hughes at 802-828-1413.

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