33 Knox County students win medals and awards at 23rd Annual East Tennessee History Day
March 19, 2024, 7:15 p.m.

KNOXVILLE - 33 Knox County students won special awards or took first, second, or third place in the 23rd annual East Tennessee History Day (ETHD) regional National History Day competition. Winners were announced on Thursday, February 29, at the contest held at the Student Union on the University of Tennessee campus. This year's event featured 167 students and 97 projects. Grades six-twelve participated at the regional level from 12 public, private, and home schools in seven counties.

First and second place winners, with third place winners serving as alternates, will advance to the state competition, Tennessee History Day, sponsored by the Tennessee Historical Society on April 20, 2024. From there, state winners will advance to nationals in College Park, Maryland, in June 2024. Regional competition co-sponsors the East Tennessee Historical Society and the University of Tennessee's Department of History congratulate and commend these students and their teachers on their hard work and success. (Knox County's ETHD winners are listed at the end of this release).

"Students engaged with and impressed judges at the East Tennessee History Day regional contest as they do each year," said Lisa Oakley, ETHS Vice President and Curator of Education. "The National History Day 2024 theme, Turning Points in History, inspired impressive projects, many of which will advance on to the state contest in April.

Knox County Students Placing First, Second, or Third in NHD Categories (Website, Documentary, Exhibit, Performance, and Paper)

Junior=Middle School and Senior=High School

Junior Individual Performance

Second Place
The Effect of the Bombing of Pearl Harbor Through the Eyes of the Citizens of Pearl Harbor
Bella Stanford
Cedar Bluff Middle School; Teacher: Maureen Schenk


Junior Individual Documentary

First Place
From Mines to Mainstream: Levi's, a Symbol of Change
Anjali Devarakonda
Farragut Middle School; Teacher: Krystal Darrow

Third Place
Tinker Vs. Des Moines: The Turning Point Behind Student Voices
Doaa Soliman
Farragut Middle School; Teacher: Krystal Darrow

Senior Individual Documentary

First Place
A Daunting Effort: How War Was Turned in the Pacific
Ethan Benson
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Karen Stanish

Second Place
The Titanic: NHD Documentary
Eathon Phillips
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz

Third Place
Exploring the Milgram Experiment
Gwendolyn Henry
West High School; Teacher: Stephen Longo


Senior Individual Paper

First Place
Perry Wallace and the SEC
Niko Christian
West High School; Teacher: Erin Grigsby

Second Place
German Nationalism Before and After the Treaty of Versailles
Gloria Habiyaremye
L&N Stem Academy, Teacher: Andrew Fultz

Third Place
Half a Century of Fear: How One Nuclear Test Changed America
Colton Pruitt
West High School, Teacher: Stephen Longo

Senior Individual Performance

Second Place
The Fanatic Fujiwara Follower
Jameson Neubauer
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz

Senior Individual Website

First Place
Kitty Genovese and the Creation of 911
Teagan McKenna
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz

Second Place
How the Black Death Inspired Society
Stella DeLuca
West High School; Teacher: Erin Grigsby

Third Place
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Thomas Place
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz


Senior Group Documentary

First Place
The First Insulin Shot: A Turning Point in History
Ansiley Wright and Cadie Wilson
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Karen Stanish

Second Place
Donald Triplett: A Turning Point in American History
Quinn Livingston and Addison Preston
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz

Third Place
Rhymes and Repercussions: How the War on Drugs Impacted the Birth of Hip-Hop
Gabriel Ensminger and Diondre Jackson
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz


Senior Group Exhibit:

First Place
Imagining Literacy: Dolly Parton's Effect on Childhood Literacy
Sam Hutapea, Kyle Harper, Katie Harper, Lizzie Borrego
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Karen Stanish

Second Place
Upwelling and Darwin's Coral Reef Theory
Yugi Wang and Margaret Spencer
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz

Third Place
Stalingrad
Will Sharbel and JP Peace
West High School; Teacher: Erin Grigsby


Senior Group Website

First Place
Women's Suffrage in East Tennessee
Leigha Woody and Laney Owens
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz


Senior Group Performance

First Place
The Articles of Confederation
Sadie Jones, Ani Larsen, Farida Fathalla, and Melanie Milliken
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Karen Stanish


Special Awards

Dan and Mary Shannon Award for Use of Primary Sources (Sponsored by Judy Buscetta)

Junior Individual Documentary
Tinker Vs. Des Moines: The Turning Point Behind Student Voices
Doaa Soliman
Farragut Middle School; Teacher: Krystal Darrow


Dan and Mary Shannon Award for Use of Primary Sources (Sponsored by Judy Buscetta)

Senior Group Exhibit
Imagining Literacy: Dolly Parton's Effect on Childhood Literacy
Sam Hutapea, Kyle Harper, Katie Harper, Lizzie Borrego
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Karen Stanish


Dan and Mary Shannon Award for Use of Primary Sources (Sponsored by Judy Buscetta)

Senior Individual Documentary
A Daunting Effort: How War Was Turned in the Pacific
Ethan Benson
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Karen Stanish

About National History Day
National History Day is a leading program for history education with over 750,000 students participating annually. This year's theme is "Turning Points in History." Students select a topic related to the theme and then choose to present their research as a website, documentary, paper, exhibit, or performance. Through research and interpreting their findings into a sound argument, these middle and high school students learn the priceless skills of a historian—critical thinking, research, and the value of primary sources.

About ETHS
The East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) is one of the most active private historical organizations in the state. We specialize in finding creative ways to introduce the public to the fascinating world of history. Recognizing that East Tennessee's history, heritage, and geography are distinct from the rest of the state, the East Tennessee Historical Society provides services and programs uniquely tailored to the region. ETHS partners with and promotes the history and events of organizations and sites across our 35 counties.