HARDIN, Ky. – Three National History Day projects created by New Covenant Christian Academy students placed among the best in the recent state competition. The two middle school projects are moving on to the national contest this summer.
In the Junior Group Documentary category, seventh-graders Cate Taylor and Abigail Capshaw placed second with their “How Happy Birthday Broke Barriers.” Fellow seventh-graders Jonathan Siress, Nate Wyatt, Reid Lynch created a website about the 1966 Texas Western Miners and placed second in the Junior Group Website category.
These two projects qualify for the national NHD contest, which is going to be held virtually in June because of COVID-19 restrictions. Students who competed in the state NHD contest submitted projects electronically and participated in Zoom interviews with judges on April 24-25. First and second place finishers in each junior and senior category advance to the national level.
Even though they don’t advance to nationals, eighth-graders Samantha Molle, Anney Kelly and Kinsley Cloninger placed third in the Junior Group Documentary with their “Ring Ring The British are Calling the Culper Spy Ring.”
Winning elementary projects don’t advance to the nationals, but NCCA had a group of fifth-grade boys win first place in its state category. Tage Edwards, Elijah Stanger, Joseph Vaughn won the Elementary Group Exhibit category with their project “Hemp: Breaking Barriers in Agriculture.” They chose to do an exhibit because the boys thought it was the best way to showcase all the research on a top that hit close to home. One of the students’ dads had starting working in hemp.
“It felt good to get everything done and then was exciting every time we won,” Vaughn said of his first experience with NHD that resulted in regional and state wins.
This is New Covenant’s second year participating in National History Day – and both years have included winners! Last year Cate Taylor’s group created a documentary that placed third in state and ended up advancing to nationals because one of the top finishers dropped out.
“This year I had a better idea of what we were doing and what was expected,” Taylor said. “It’s exciting to move on to the next level!”
National History Day is an academic program focused on historical research, interpretation, and creative expression for sixth- through twelve-grade students. By participating in NHD, students become writers, filmmakers, web designers, playwrights and artists as they create unique contemporary expressions of history. The experience culminates in a series of contests at the local levels and the annual national competition, which is traditionally held in Washington, D.C. in June.
For NCCA, these projects are the result of work throughout the school year, including non-traditional instructional days that began March 16. Amanda Smith teaches history to fifth- and sixth-grade and seventh- and eighth-grade classes at New Covenant.
“Thank you Mrs. Smith for your hard work and dedication to our students and school!” NCCA Head of School Tara Siress said after congratulating the students who won.
Having virtual contests involved some adjustments for the students, their teacher, and NHD officials and judges.
“Competing in a virtual competition wasn’t ideal, but I was pleased to see the students could still glorify God through their hard work and dedication during these unprecedented circumstances,” Smith said. “They still had stories to tell and they made the best of it!”
NCCA opened for the 2010-11 school year and offers preschool through high school. Students are exposed to a God-centered biblically-based education as the foundation of all truth and knowledge. New Covenant is located at 218 College St. in Hardin. More information about the school is available online at www.nccaky.org.
Find more information, including a complete list of winners on the National History Day in KY Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NHDKy