Essex, Mo., students, teacher honored at National History Day competition

The 2020 National History Day contest saw 57 Missouri students compete, and a student team and teacher from Essex, Missouri, earned honors.

This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held online instead of at the University of Maryland, according to a news release.

The 2020 contest theme was “Breaking Barriers in History.”

Rebecca Arnold, a teacher at Richland Elementary School in Essex, made it to the finals of the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award. The award goes to a teacher who demonstrates a commitment to engaging students in historical learning through innovative use of primary sources, implementation of active learning strategies to foster historical thinking skills, and participation in the National History Day Contest, according to the release.

The senior group documentary by Richland High School students Chelsea Swasho and Rylee Taylor, “Freedom Found on a Bootheel Roadside: The 1939 Sharecroppers Strike,” earned the American Labor History prize and was included in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History 2020 Digital Documentary Showcase.

Danielle Griego, program coordinator for National History Day in Missouri, said in the release that the students adapted well to the virtual format for both the state and national contest this year, which was unprecedented.

“Their hard work, dedication, and willingness to think outside of the box is truly impressive. They broke barriers and made history. We are all very proud,” Griego said in the release.

A complete listing of 2020 awards at the state and national contests is at www.nhdmo.org.

More than 5,000 Missouri students participate in History Day each year, sponsored and organized in Missouri by the State Historical Society of Missouri.