NHD keynote and state finalists
A dozen students from Sequoia Middle School represented PUSD at the Tulare County National History Day (NHD) competition last week. Four projects created by eight Sequoia Hawks eighth-graders won awards and will be advancing to the state level of competition at Jessup University in Rocklin on May 6-7. Their history teacher, Mrs. Williford, was very proud of her students and their hard work.
Students were scheduled in various rooms throughout the morning to present and defend their projects. Each category of history project had a different set of judges. Documentaries and performances were allowed to have audiences during the judging while the exhibits could be viewed following the judging.
While the judges tabulated their results, students watched two Best-in-show selections. A high school documentary featured Ruby Bridge’s struggle as one of the first black girls who attended a white school when desegregation was ordered. An individual performance about the White Rose Society highlighted a student organization that handed out anti-nazi leaflets during World War II.
The keynote speaker was 83-year-old Edward Boersma who wrote “Courage Born of Faith: an Account of Survival Under the Nazi Yoke.” Edward was 6 in 1940 when war broke out and his father joined the Dutch Resistance.
Edward’s family hid and fed Jews because they felt it was the right thing to do. He remembered that when the Gestopo knocked, his mother would wait sixty seconds before answering the door in order to give the eight people they were sheltering a chance to scramble into hiding.
As a Nazi resister, his father received letters of commendation from the leaders of several countries who were grateful for his assistance during World War II. He showed the document signed by President Eisenhower thanking him for helping to free allied troops.
When Nazi’s moved in to occupy a country as they did in the Netherlands, they put up plackets announcing that all people 16 years and older were required to register for a national ID card. This card was stamped with a “J” to show that they are Jewish. Over 300 concentrations camps in Europe not only exterminated approximately 6 million Jews, but also millions of Russians and about one thousand priests.
Each concentration camp had a front gate with the German saying on it that translated to, “The harder you work, the freer you will become.” A double fence with barbed wire on top encircled each camp and dogs ran in-between the fences to chase anyone who might try to escape.
One time Edward had to sneak home past multiple checkpoints to get his dad’s forgotten ID card so that he could safely return home from church. As a witness to history, this storyteller kept us spellbound with his first-hand accounts, but wrapped up his comments so the awards ceremony could begin.
Francisco Ruan and Albert Munoz received the group documentary award for their movie about Muhammad Ali entitled, “The Greatest.” Yasoda Satpathy created an individual documentary about Kailash Satyarthi and his fight to free those enslaved in child labor in India. Ryan Rusch’s individual documentary Tiananmen Square, 1976, highlighted Chairman Mao’s demise along with the fall of the Gang of Four. Both will also be advancing to state.
Katie Angle, Nevaeh Mccoy, John Felix and Ariana Robles researched the famous female aviator Amelia Earhart and wrote a script which they performed about how she took flight. Complete with props and scene changes, the actors showed how she took a stand in history for the right of women to fly.
All students received certificates. At the awards ceremony, those advancing to the state level of competition also received a medal. Ryan’s Chinese documentary and the Earhart performance both won $250 scholarships from the Tulare County Historical Society for their excellence.
These winning student projects have been invited to attend a project critique at the Tulare County Office of Education (TCOE) to meet with judges on March 7. They’ll be advised about changes that can enhance their documentaries and performances in order to be more competitive at state competition. We wish them well as they continue on in the competition.