EHS freshman places first at ‘History Day’ contest
MAGNOLIA — Ella Langridge, ninth grader at El Dorado High School placed first in the National History Day Arkansas regional contest for her historical research paper, “The 1790 Slavery Debate: An Echoing Conflict.”
Langridge, the daughter of Michael and Kelly Langridge of El Dorado, competed in the National History Day competition last year as a student at Barton Junior High, and she enjoyed the historical research process so much that she chose to enter the competition again this year, even though she is the only El Dorado High School student who did so.
When asked about why she chose to spend many hours working on this research project, even though it was not assigned by a teacher, she said, “My projects for HD gave me a good understanding of what doing real research feels like, and let me get familiar with history. That has made me want to get deeper into the subject, professionally. Since I want to go into academics, research projects are great practice for the career I want, and especially for college. I’ve actually really enjoyed it.”
The contest, open to students in grades 712, was held March 9 at Southern Arkansas University. Langridge will now advance to the state competition, to be held Apr. 7 at the University of Central Arkansas. Students who place first or second at the state competition will advance to the national contest, held each June at the University of Maryland.
National History Day is the nation’s leading educational program for history education in the schools. Students may enter the competition as part of a classroom activity, or may enter on their own, as Langridge did.