Four Maine Township High School District 207 students have advanced to National History Day. The event will be held at the University of Maryland on June 9-13, 2024 outside of Washington, D.C.
Based on the students’ performance in the Illinois History Day competition on April 24, 2024 in Springfield, Ill., the top two projects in the state per category moved onto nationals.
The Maine South honorees were 10th grader Sarah Frantz (right in photo with display board behind the students) and 11th grader Annamarie Milazzo (left in photo with display board behind the students).
The Maine West honorees were 11th grader Aaron Nisius (left in photo in hallway) and 11th grader Odom Mom (right in photo in hallway).
Sarah Frantz and Annamarie Milazzo’s museum exhibit display “The Truth Teller: Dorothea Dix” explores Dorothea Dix, a champion for people with mental illness in the 1840s. Dix investigated the living conditions of people who were imprisoned with mental illness and she lobbied for reform. Her writings are highlighted in the exhibit.
Aaron Nisius’ paper, “The Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge and the Failure of Lee’s Gettysburg Campaign” explores the significance of Pickett’s Infantry Charge on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg. His paper draws from firsthand accounts of soldiers, which includes letters and essays.
Odom Mom’s historical documentary tells the story of the transformative impact of Newton N. Minow’s 1961 speech, “Television and the Public Interest,” which branded television as a “vast wasteland.” Through the use of archival material, he shows how Minow’s speech helped usher in a significant shift in television programming and the expansion of educational content.
District 207 students began with schoolwide history fairs in February at Maine East, Maine South and Maine West. There was then a citywide finals, Illinois History Day and ultimately the forthcoming National History Day to recognize the top projects in the country.