Liberty High School students took home a slew of top awards at the 2015 Washington State History Day competition May 2.
This year’s theme was “Leadership and Legacy in History.” The school sent 16 students to the contest at Green River Community College, and eight of them qualified for the national competition by placing in the top two of their categories.
Vincy Fok, Lorrin Johnson and Issabelle Hayden’s project about Edward R. Murrow earned first place in the senior group exhibit category.
Carlyn Schmidgall, Lauryn Hepp and Sally Rim earned first place for their group website about John F. Kennedy’s leadership during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Andrew Cooper’s website about George Washington Goethals and the Panama Canal also took home first place, and a special maritime award. Dhamanpreet Kaur’s website featuring Margaret Sanger received second place.
Clara Bardot, Tyra Christopherson and Paige Hopkins placed fourth with their website about Emmeline Pankhurst’s leadership in the Suffrage Movement.
In addition, Liberty Principal Josh Almy was named the Washington State History Day Administrator of the Year.
The national qualifiers showed their projects at the National History Day competition in Maryland in June.
Fok, Johnson and Hayden’s Edward R. Murrow project earned sixth place. The exhibit was also chosen for a day of public viewing at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
Additionally, Rim, Hepp and Schmidgall’s group website earned sixth place overall.