Three qualify for ‘history nationals’

Three Santa Rosa County middle school students will be traveling to Maryland next month to compete in the National History Day competition and another has scored in the top one third of all students in Florida.

The Florida History Fair state contest, sponsored by the Museum of Florida History, was held May 1-3 at Tallahassee Community College. Over 750 students from across the state traveled to compete in the state fair.

Florida middle and high school students competed in historical papers, exhibits, documentaries, performances, and websites at their respective school districts and won the opportunity to compete at the state level.

Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning says these students are the cream of the crop. “These students represent some of Florida’s best. We are extremely proud of these young people and we know that they will be great Florida representatives at the National History Day Fair in Maryland,” says Browning.

At this year’s National Fair, 58 students from 14 different Florida counties will compete with other states’ winners for prizes at the national level in the same categories as the state level competitions. Among these, students may compete as individuals or as a group in either the junior level (grades six through 8) or the senior level (grades 9 through twelve). This year’s topic for the history competition was ‘Conflict and Compromise in History.’

Nicholas Gupta, a seventh grader at Gulf Breeze Middle School won first place in the Junior Individual Exhibit category with his exhibit, ‘Munich Compromise’.

Grace Freeman, Gupta’s social studies teacher says she is proud of her student’s work. “His work on the project is truly remarkable for a seventh-grader.”

“Nick did a great job of explaining the historic events. He spent most of his winter and spring breaks working on the project and doing research,” says Freeman.

Michael Barbee and Jack Millward of Woodlawn Beach Middle School won second place in the Junior Group Documentary category with their documentary titled ‘Hijacking of Pan Am Flight 103.’

Clark Youngblood, Social Studies Coordinator for Santa Rosa County, says Gupta, Barbee, and Millward spent many hours on these projects and are well prepared to represent Santa Rosa County and the State of Florida in the national level History Fair. “These young men are definitely ready for the national competition,” says Youngblood.

Youngblood says last year Barbee had another documentary sent to the national level and it won an outstanding entry award for Florida.

Avalon Middle School’s David Lowrey won a third place prize in the Junior Individual Documentary category. Although he is not eligible to attend the National Competition, only first and second prizewinners are invited, he deserves recognition for his amazing accomplishments at the local and state level competitions in both the Geography Bee and the History Fair.

Lowrey scored in the top one-third of students Statewide in the Geography Bee sponsored by National Geographic.