National Finalists, Alternates, State Finals Winners, and Special Award Recipients
SPONSORED BY:
The Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation
STATE FINALS HOSTED BY:
CLARKE HISTORICAL LIBRARY CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
ALSO SPONSORED BY: The Algonquin Club of Detroit & Windsor, Holland Area Historical
Society, The Michigan Society for the War of 1812
2012 MICHIGAN
HISTORY DAY
STATE FINALS
What is Michigan History Day?
Michigan History Day (National History Day in Michigan) is an educational program of the Historical Society of Michigan, the state’s oldest cultural organization. Michigan History Day is part of the National History Day program and is designed to encourage students in grades 4-12 to explore historical subjects related to a broad annual theme. The theme for 2012 was:
Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History
Michigan History Day offers a fascinating opportunity to learn through hands-on study. Students perform self-directed research on an individually chosen topic. Entries are presented through the allied disciplines of art, literature, music, drama, and visual communications, in addition to writing. The projects grow—participants are encouraged to expand and improve their work between each level of the competition. Entries may be in any one of seven categories. They include Research Papers (individuals only), Individual or Group Exhibits, Individual or Group Performances, Indi-vidual or Group Documentaries, and Websites. Groups may include two to five students. Students compete in one of three age divisions: Youth (grades 4-5), Junior (grades 6-8), and Senior (grades 9-12). Junior and Senior entrants are eligible to proceed to the national finals at National History Day in Maryland in June. Each category in a division is judged separately. Michigan History Day’s ultimate goal is to kindle an appreciation of the past among students of today. The motto of History Day says it all.
It’s not just a day,
It’s an experience!
The Historical Society of Michigan would like to thank the following major sponsors for
providing generous support to operate Michigan History Day:
The Richard and Helen DeVos
Foundation
ALSO SPONSORED BY:
The Algonquin Club of Detroit & Windsor Holland Area Historical Society,
The Michigan Society for the War of 1812
MICHIGAN HISTORY DAY 2012 SPONORS
CLARKE HISTORICAL LIBRARY
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Youth Division — Grades 4 & 5
INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARIES
FIRST PLACE:
Child Labor Laws and How They Changed
Caitlyn Scornaiencki
Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie
School: Sault Area Middle School
GROUP DOCUMENTARIES
FIRST PLACE:
The Traffic Light: A Revolution in Traffic Control
Peter Filbrandt, Jacob Hunt
Hometown: South Haven
School: North Shore Elementary
SECOND PLACE:
The Battle of Gettysburg
Riley O’Brien, Parker Jensen
Hometown: South Haven
School: North Shore Elementary
THIRD PLACE:
D-Day Invasion
Wyatt Galarowic, Jaxon Wilkie
Hometown: DeTour
School: DeTour Arts and Technology Academy
INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITS
FIRST PLACE:
The Columbian Exchange
Nikolas Wilbur
Hometown: Bay City
School: Mackensen Elementary
SECOND PLACE:
Revolution in Women’s Athletics Through Title IX at Lake Superior State
University
Ellen Marger
Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie
School: Washington Elementary
THIRD PLACE:
From Boy Scouts to Girl Guides: The Formation of Girl Scouts
Lindsey Niffenegger
Hometown: South Haven
School: North Shore Elementary School
GROUP EXHIBITS
FIRST PLACE:
Clara Barton: Angel of the Battlefield Emergencies Reform
Halee Marie Bosel, Jenna Rose Gerwatowski
Hometown: Tahquamenon
School: Tahquamenon Schools
SECOND PLACE:
D-Day: The Beginning of the End of Nazi Germany
Dillon Curtis, Kaaleb Ranta
Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie
School: Soo Township Elementary
THIRD PLACE:
World War I Weapons Technology Revolution
Seth Huffman, Hunter Clark
Hometowns: Tahquamenon
School: Tahquamenon Schools
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE
FIRST PLACE:
Elizabeth (Betsy) Griscom Ross: The Fabric of Revolution
Lindsay Meeker
Hometown: Hastings
School: Northeastern Elementary
SECOND PLACE:
From the Backwoods of Tennessee to the Alamo
Carter Smith
Hometown: Hastings
School: Northeastern Elementary
THIRD PLACE:
Mary Todd Lincoln: The Girl of the Bluegrass
Abby Bremer
Hometown: Hastings
School: Northeastern Elementary
GROUP PERFORMANCE
FIRST PLACE:
How Television Revolutionized Communication from 1940-1970
Zeina Akl, Gabrielle Bradley, Samantha Cobado, Caroline Haenicke
Hometown: Kalamazoo
School: The Gagie School
SECOND PLACE:
Women’s Suffrage
Bridgitt Cornish, Caity Weirick
Hometown: Kalamazoo
School: The Gagie School
THIRD PLACE:
Sit-ins: Stand Up by Sitting Down
Maddy Wise, Lauren Hodge
Hometown: South Haven
School: North Shore Elementary
INDIVIDUAL WEBSITE
FIRST PLACE:
What Was Old Is New Again
Allison Elnora Ringold
Hometown: Ann Arbor
School: Ann Arbor Learning Community
SECOND PLACE:
Annie Oakley, Shooting Star
Claudia McLean
Hometown: Hastings
School: Northeastern Elementary
THIRD PLACE:
Pyramids
Muna Aljahmi
Hometown: Detroit
School: Universal Academy
GROUP WEBSITE
FIRST PLACE:
Tank and Anti-tank Innovations
Johnathan Ellis, Joe Nelson
Hometown: South Haven
School: North Shore Elementary
Junior Division — Grades 6-8
INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARIES
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
We Shall Not Be Moved: How the Women's Emergency Brigade Revolutionized
and Reformed the United Auto Workers
Cecelia Adame-Goff
Hometown: Ann Arbor
School: Ann Arbor Learning Community
Iranian Revolution: Realities of Change
Hannah Lane-Davies
Hometown: Kalamazoo
School: Kazoo School
ALTERNATE:
The Native American Boarding School Era: A Reform that Led to Cultural
Genocide
Lois Biggs
Hometown: Ada
School: Forest Hills Eastern Middle School
GROUP DOCUMENTARIES
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
Dorothea Dix: Reaction Leads to Reform
Anna Ryzenga, Claire Schregardus
Hometown: Holland
School: Holland West K-7
1919 World Series Black Sox Scandal
Reid Bailey, Jake Long
Hometown: Traverse City
School: Traverse City West Middle School
ALTERNATE:
Germ Theory: A Historic Revolution
Addison Healey, Chamberlain Mathis
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Forest Hills Northern Middle School
INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITS
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
Billie the Riveter: When Duty Called in ‘40s, Women Served
Mackenzie Brandel
Hometown: Whitehall
School: Whitehall Schools
From Divine Right to the Bill of Rights: Revolution that Transformed the British
Monarchy
Caroline Yapp
Hometown: Kalamazoo
School: The Kazoo School
ALTERNATE:
“And No Birds Sing”: The Story of Silent Spring
Emma Roth
Hometown: Ann Arbor
School: Ann Arbor Learning Community
GROUP EXHIBITS
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
Big Wheel: Big Changes
Amy Doster, Victoria Lynn, Joy Mecano
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Northern Hills Middle School
The Triangle Fire: Reaction Led to Reform
Faith Slubowski, Norah Fanning, Alice Hanlon
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Northern Hills Middle School
ALTERNATE:
Behind the McArches: Revolutionizing America’s Eating Habits
Alan Larson, Lauren Geiger
Hometown: Whitehall
School: Whitehall Schools
PAPERS
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
Revolt of the Admirals: Going Down with the Ship
Valentine Vena
Hometown: Plymouth
School: Parent Sponsored
The McCarthy Hearings: “An Age of Unreason”
Lily Krone
Hometown: Kalamazoo
School: Kazoo School
ALTERNATE:
Prohibition of Alcohol: The Noble Experiment
Emma Gredanus
Hometown: Ada
School: Ada Christian School
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
The Revolution of the Weather Underground
Asia Korkmaz
Hometown: Ann Arbor
School: Ann Arbor Learning Community
Father Miguel Hildago and the War for Mexican Independence
Owen Purdue
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Northern Hills Middle School
ALTERNATE:
July Revolution
Ashley Peuler
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Northern Hills Middle School
GROUP PERFORMANCES
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
“Bread or Blood”: The Uprising of the French Revolution
Noor Sohail, Denise Bilbao, Emily Byrd, Emma Clark, Madalyn Slubowski
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Northern Hills Middle School
Blackwell’s Island: The Girl Who Feigned Insanity
Jacqueline Spiegel, Ellie Katz
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Northern Hills Middle School
ALTERNATE:
The Ford Effect
Cameron Larson, Carson Van Skiver
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Northern Hills Middle School
INDIVIDUAL WEBSITES
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
Indian Revolution, U.S. Reaction, United Reform: The Bloody Island Massacre
Sarah Kakoura
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Forest Hills Eastern Middle School
Movies: Inspiring New Ideas
Andrew Depree
Hometown: Holland
School: Holland West K-7
ALTERNATE:
The Wright Brothers: American Aviators
Matthew Gratowski
Hometown: DeTour
School: DeTour Area Schools
GROUP WEBSITES
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
The Reaction to John Brown's Raid on Harper Ferry
Shelby Hewlett, Ambika Agrawal, Rose Fields
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Forest Hills Eastern Middle School
The Baseball Diamond: The Only Jewel Wrapped in Chains
Jacob Hurwitz, Eli Cartier, Andrew Beck
Hometown: Kalamazoo
School: Kazoo School
ALTERNATE:
Elvis Presley: The King of the Rock n' Roll Revolution
Zoe Larson, Kylie McDonald
Hometown: Traverse City
School: Traverse City West Middle School
Senior Division — Grades 9-12
INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARIES
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
Ernst Floeter, German POW: A Personal Reaction to WWII
Matt George
Hometown: Kalamazoo
School: Hackett Catholic Central
The Reign of Terror: Radical Revolution and Reaction
Justin Fragala
Hometown: South Haven
School: South Haven High School
ALTERNATE:
Rivers of Blood: The Rwandan Genocide
Nicole Tubacki
Hometown: Traverse City
School: Traverse City Central High School
GROUP DOCUMENTARIES
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
From Red to Blue: Revolution and Contrast in the Former USSR
Dustin Rens, Nicholas Robinson
Hometown: Comstock Park
School: Comstock Park High School
9/11: A Cultural Demolition
Marwa Abdelmaguid, Tahany Alsabahi, Zunaira Tufail
Hometown: Dearborn Heights
School: Star International Academy
ALTERNATE:
War Dogs: The Hidden Truths
Lilliana Duyck, Heidi Slaktoski
Hometown: Comstock Park
School: Comstock Park High School
INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITS
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
Out of the Dark Ages
Marissa Ross
Hometown: South Haven
School: South Haven High School
Jack Kilby and the Microchip: A Massive Revolution in Micro Technology
Matthew Kirk
Hometown: Novi
School: Parent Sponsored
ALTERNATE:
Homeopathy: A Revolutionary Concept Reforms Western Medical Practice
Mariah Olsson
Hometown: Montague
School: Montague High School
GROUP EXHIBITS
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
Defoe Rollover
Lauren Legner, Elizabeth Martin, Raeann Reynolds, Sarah Cramer
Hometown: Bay City
School: Bay City Central High School
WWI: How Technology Changed the Battlefield
Nicholas Goodrich, Aaron Missman, Lincoln Osborn
Hometown: South Haven
School: South Haven High School
ALTERNATE:
Ten Hours or No Sawdust
Nathan Beelman, Jenna McLean, Zachary Nagel
Hometown: Saginaw
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy
PAPERS
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
The Congo Reform Movement: Indeterminate Progress
Cameron Shabahang
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
From the Couch to the Polls: How Television has Revolutionized Presidential
Campaigns
Summer Klomp
Hometown: Whitehall
School: Whitehall High School
ALTERNATE:
Prohibition
Alex Belica
Hometown: Grosse Pointe Park
School: Parent Sponsored
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
Reacting to Revolutions, Reshaping Realities: Flappers, the Women Who Made
America Modern
Alayna Klco
Hometown: Whitehall
School: Whitehall High School
Crossroads: The Story of a Dedicated Student, a Troubled Delinquent, a
Muckraker, and a Camera to Turn It All Around
Edward Verdonk
Hometown: South Haven
School: South Haven High School
GROUP PERFORMANCES
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
Spies Among Us: From OSS to CIA
Gladys Gonzalez, Garrett Fragala
Hometown: South Haven
School: South Haven Public Schools
A Blast from Harriet’s Past! Abolishment of Slavery as a Reaction to Tubman’s
Work on the Underground Railroad
Juliana Hupp, Madeline Huhta, Rylee Maki
Hometown: Chassell
School: Chassell Schools
ALTERNATE:
Jackie Robinson: Breaking Color Barriers to Integrate Sports
Ashlyn Kero, Laura Berg, Olivia Leukuma
Hometown: Hancock
School: Hancock Central High School
INDIVIDUAL WEBSITES
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
Germ Theory: Revolution in Medicine
Marah Erickson
Hometown: Chassell
School: Chassell Township School
Digital Music Distribution: Changing the World, One Download at a Time
Aaron Posega
Hometown: Hancock
School: Hancock Central High School
GROUP WEBSITES
NATIONAL FINALISTS:
French Revolution
Kayla Foley, Azaelea Collins
Hometown: Comstock Park
School: Comstock Park High School
The Birth of a New Country: Bangladesh
Areeba Haider, Nora Husaini, Malak Kabalan
Hometown: Dearborn Heights
School: Star International Academy
ALTERNATE:
Painting it Red: The Chinese Cultural Revolution
Raymond Surya, Daniel Timmerman
Hometown: Holland
School: Holland High School
Special Awards
Best Entry in Michigan History
Sponsored by Meijer
YOUTH: Revolution in Women's Athletics Through Title IX at Lake Superior State
University
Ellen Marger
Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie
School: Washington Elementary
JUNIOR: The Ford Effect
Cameron Larson, Carson Van Skiver
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Northern Hills Middle School
SENIOR: The Assembly Line and Automobiles
Sawsan Al-Marashi, Ebtisam Alobahi, Ashwak Alshami, Hailah
Nasser
Hometown: Detroit
School: Universal Academy
Best Entry in Arab World, Islam and the American Muslim Experience
Sponsored by the Arab American National Museum
JUNIOR: Iranian Revolution: Realities of Change
Hannah Lane-Davies
Hometown: Kalamazoo
School: Kazoo School
Best Entry in Use of Oral History Sponsored by the Historical Society of Michigan
JUNIOR: The Comprehensive Peace Agreement: An Agent of Hope and Healing in
the New Country of South Sudan
Lauren Bowman
Hometown: Ada
School: Ada Christian School
SENIOR: Ernst Floeter, German POW: A Personal Reaction to WWII
Matt George
Hometown: Kalamazoo
School: Hackett Catholic Central
Best Entry in Use of Primary Sources Sponsored by the Michigan Archival Association
YOUTH: How Television Revolutionized Communication from 1940-1970
Zeina Akl, Gabrielle Bradley, Samantha Cobado, Caroline
Haenicke
Hometown: Kalamazoo
School: Gagie School
JUNIOR: Indian Revolution, U.S. Reaction, United Reform: The Bloody Island Massacre Sarah Karkoura
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Forest Hills Eastern Middle School
SENIOR: The Congo Reform Movement: Indeterminate Progress
Cameron Shabahang
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Best Entry in Use of Family History Sponsored by the Michigan Genealogical Council
YOUTH: What Was Old Is New Again
Allison Elnora Ringold
Hometown: Ann Arbor
School: Ann Arbor Learning Community
JUNIOR: My Grandfather, My Hero, Our Freedom
Matthew Ankerson, McKenzie Ankerson
Hometown: Traverse City
School: Traverse City West Middle School
SENIOR: Revolution Until Victory
Abdelrahm Shoaib
Hometown: Dearborn Heights
School: Star International Academy
Elly Peterson Award for Best Entry in Michigan Women’s History
Sponsored by the Michigan Women’s Studies Association
YOUTH: Rosa Parks Impacted History
Katherine Marger
Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie
School: Washington Elementary
JUNIOR: We Shall Not Be Moved: How the Women's Emergency Brigade
Revolutionized and Reformed the United Auto Workers
Cecelia Adame-Goff
Hometown: Ann Arbor
School: Ann Arbor Learning Community
Sam Breck Award for Best Entry in Railroad History
Sponsored by the Michigan Roundtable,
Lexington Group In Transportation
(One Award)
ALL: Full Steam Ahead
Brad Benstein
Hometown: Grand Rapids
School: Forest Hills Central Middle School
The Historical Society of Michigan would like to thank the following major sponsors for
providing generous support to operate Michigan History Day:
The Richard and Helen DeVos
Foundation
ALSO SPONSORED BY:
The Algonquin Club of Detroit & Windsor Holland Area Historical Society,
The Michigan Society for the War of 1812
MICHIGAN HISTORY DAY 2012 SPONORS
CLARKE HISTORICAL LIBRARY
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY