AREA STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN DISTRICT 9 HISTORY DAY

Eight Southeast Missouri entries have advanced to the National History Day contest, to be held in June at the University of Maryland-College Park.

The students qualified after placing first or second in their category and division at the State History Day contest held April 9 at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Those advancing to the national competition included Dexter High School students Trey Waldrup, April Smith, Garrett Cox, Lindsie Pearman and Nichole Fish. The students finished second in the junior division group performances category for their entry on European immigration.

About 7,500 students from all 50 states will compete in the national contest.

The Dexter students were among 455 students who participated in the annual District 9 History Day March 12 at Southeast Missouri State University.

Risco High School won the Sweepstakes Award which is presented to the school earning the most winning entries.

Students finishing first, second and third in the district competition advanced to the state contest. Forty-two students qualified for the state competition.

History Day is sponsored annually by the State Historical Society of Missouri, the Western Historical Manuscript Collection of the University of Missouri and the history department at Southeast. Frank Nickell, director of the Center for Regional History, is the District 9 coordinator.

The theme of this year's contest was "Geography in History: People, Places, Time."

The event drew students in grades 4-12 from schools in Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Iron, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Stoddard and Wayne counties. Students in grades 4 and 5 competed in an elementary division. Students in grades 6-8 competed in a junior division and those in grades 9-12 in a senior division.

Area winners by school were:

St. Mary's -- Amanda Hutteger, first place, elementary division historical paper; Andrew Essner, Chris Brockmire and Ricky Renfroe, first, second and third, respectively, elementary division individual projects; Meredith LeGrand and Layne Strattman, first place, elementary division group projects; and Maria Ortiz and Jessica Hency, second in the junior division.

St. Ambrose Elementary School -- Courtney Loucks, Amanda Mott and Ashlie Smith, elementary division group projects.

Advance -- Jason Kennedy, third place, junior division individual media; and Ross McFerron, Willie Nelson and Brandon Middleton, third, junior division group projects.

St. Vincent de Paul -- Anne Hays, first place, junior division historical paper; Laura Hoffman and Bryan Drury, second and third, respectively, junior division individual projects; Kevin Davie and Tony Irlbeck, first, junior division group projects; and Amanda Sharp and Alexandra Kohlfeld, second and third, respectively, junior division individual performance.

Dexter -- Brian Robinson, first, junior division individual projects; and Waldrup, Smith, Pearman, Cox and Fish, first, junior division group performance.

Marquand-Zion -- Vanessa Miles and Lisa Francis, second, junior division group projects.