Allegany County Student Wins at 2010 Maryland History Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: April 28, 2010
CONTACT: Judy Dobbs
410-685-4184
JDobbs@mdhc.org

Allegany County Student Wins at 2010 Maryland History Day

BALTIMORE, MD. April 28, 2010. With a theme like Innovation in History: Impact and Change, this year's state History Day competition promised to be an exciting-and nail-biting-experience for Maryland students. Directed by the Maryland Humanities Council, History Day engages 16,500 state middle and high school students in an exploration of a historical subject of their choice that addresses the National History Day theme. The contest, held at University of Maryland, Baltimore County Saturday, April 24, gave students the opportunity to meet and compete with more than 500 of the state's young history scholars.

A Maryland student from Allegany County, Rebecca Pannone took home a special prize, the Barry A. Lanman Award for Oral History, sponsored by John D. Williard, V for her senior individual exhibit "Radar: Technology that Impacted World War II." Rebecca will travel to the National competition June 13 to 17 at the University of Maryland, College Park campus.

"The Maryland Humanities Council is so proud of our state winners!" says Executive Director Phoebe Stein Davis. "They've work so hard for the past year on their projects and we hope that our winners go on to win awards at the national competition in June."

Participants in History Day underwent a year-long process of intensive research and competitions at the county level. Students conduct research at libraries, museums, and historic sites, and through oral history interviews and present their findings in one of four categories: Papers, performances, documentaries, and exhibits.

FINALISTS

Rosanna Kim, of Richard Montgomery High School, in Montgomery County, was a finalist in the category of "Senior Paper" for her paper, "The March First Movement: A Suppressed Movement That Made Its Mark in History." Her teacher was Peter Beach.

Caitlin Perdue, of the Perdue Academy, in Montgomery County, was a finalist in the category of "Senior Individual Performance," for her performance, "Marie Curie and the Killing Cure." Her teacher was Susan Perdue.

Lauren White, of Huntingtown High School, in Calvert County, was a finalist in the category of "Senior Individual Documentary" for her documentary "The Hiroshima Maidens Project: A Triumph for Humanity in the Tragic Aftermath of War." Her teacher was Jonathan Moreland.

OUTSTANDING STATE PRIZE WINNERS

The Outstanding State Prize winner for Maryland in the Senior Division was Lauren White, of Huntingtown High School, in Calvert County, for her documentary "The Hiroshima Maidens Project: A Triumph for Humanity in the Tragic Aftermath of War." Her teacher was Jonathan Moreland.

The Outstanding State Prize for Maryland in the Junior Division went to Shayne Kress and Travis Peed of Elkridge Landing Middle School, in Howard County, for their Junior Group Performance, "From the Tragic Burning of Washington to the Triumph in Baltimore." Their teacher was Benjamin Ruble.

SPECIAL PRIZE IN THE HISTORY OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

The Special Prize in the History of Religious Freedom went to Gina Lorenzetti and Rebecca Spiro of North Bethesda Middle School, in Montgomery County, for their Junior Group Performance, "Spinoza Remembered." Their teacher was Patricia Robinson.

A complete list of students and teachers honored at the state and national contests can be found on the Maryland Humanities Council website at www.mdhc.org. For more information about bringing this exciting program to your school and to receive a free curriculum guide and rule book, contact Judy Dobbs at jdobbs@mdhc.org or 410-685-4185.

The Maryland Humanities Council is a statewide, educational, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The purpose of MHC is to stimulate and promote informed dialogue and civic engagement on issues critical to Marylanders. For more information about MHC, please visit www.mdhc.org.
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