Kern kids delve into the past
HISTORY: State competition next
| Saturday, Mar 06 2010 09:34 PM
Last Updated Sunday, Mar 07 2010 01:20 PM
JUNIOR DIVISION (Grades 4-8)
Group Performance
* Sameen Bramer, Calvin Laverty, Brittany Louey, Ramie Sahota and Amy Williams, Fruitvale Jr. High -- "Disturbing the Peace: The Freedom Rides, an Innovation that Changed Civil Rights into a National Movement"
Individual Performance
* Andrew Kerwin, Fruitvale Jr. High -- "The Manhattan Project: An Innovation that Would Change the World"
* Julia Gonzales, Columbia Elementary -- "Social Innovator: Ella Baker, SNCC, and the Student Movement"
Group Documentary
* Estrella Lobos and Isabella Ozuna, Alicante School -- "Hoover Dam: The Impact and Change from Taming the Red Bull"
* Noah Kroeker, Michelle Laurendine and Meredith Neilson, Fruitvale Jr. High -- "The Marshall Plan: An Innovation that Changed Nations"
Individual Documentary
* Christopher Trickey, Endeavour Elementary -- "Food Grows Where Water Flows: The Impact of the State Water Project"
* Alap Sahoo, Warren Jr. High -- "Petroleum: The Power House of Our Lives"
Group Exhibit
* Julia Castro, Gabriela Hinojosa, Mikayla Regier and Dylan Tucker, Discovery Elementary -- "The Impact and Change of Blood Transfusions"
* Olivia Belda and Makay Moss, Fruitvale Jr. High -- "Innovators of Light: War of the Currents"
Alternate: Harjot Dosanjh and Arnie Ozuna, Mountain View Middle -- "The Hoover Dam: Taming the Red Bull"
Individual Exhibit
* Bianca Salazar, Mountain View Middle -- "The Seneca Falls Convention: Launching Women Towards Their Rightful Place in the U.S."
* Dylan Logan, Valley Oaks Charter School -- "Irrigation Then and Now"
Alternate: Laura Cruz, Alicante School -- "Polio Vaccine: Everlasting Hope"
Individual Website
* Grace Park, Fruitvale Jr. High -- "The Advancement and History of the Lithium Battery"
* Alexandria Crandall, Warren Jr. High -- "Personal Computers: Impact on the World"
Group Website
* Frederika Ruedo, Almond Tree Middle -- "How Music Moves the World"
Historical Paper
* Brooke Richter, Fruitvale Jr. High -- "Tuvia Bielski: Innovation in Survival"
Group Poster (Grades 4-5 only)
* Emily Holland, Emily Gusman and Paige Reed, Highland Elementary -- "Insulin Pumps: Pumping Up Life!"
* Dylan Clayton, Lucas Dow, Chandler Maurer and Luke Sullivan, Highland Elementary -- "Global Hawk: Innovative Flyer"
Alternate: Jayla Gutierrez, Lizbeth Rodriguez and Diocelene Valderrama, Myrtle Avenue School -- "Jazz"
Individual Poster (Grades 4-5 only)
* Elsie Mares, Alicante School -- "The Telephone: Reaching Out and Impacting the World"
* Elisa Rowatt, Endeavour Elementary -- "Failure is Impossible"
Alternate: Ageda Arvizu, Myrtle Ave. School -- "Plastic"
* Students eligible to represent Kern County at the state history day competition
SENIOR DIVISION (Grades 9-12)
Historical Paper
* Carl Demler, Garces Memorial High -- "The Innovation of Modern Beekeeping"
Group Documentary
* Bianca Hinojosa and Marissa Manos, Centennial High -- "A Second Chance: The Innovation of the Heart Transplant"
* Kerry Burke and Laura Meert, Garces -- "The Camera Pill: An Innovation in Endoscopy"
* Grace and Sarah Moore, Centennial -- "Patent No. 2981877: The Micro-Innovation That Transformed the Modern World"
Individual Documentary
* Sara Melgar, Centennial -- "Changes in Laser Technology and Its Impact on People"
* Morgan Barnes, Bakersfield High -- "Woodstock"
* Jasmine Rodriguez, Garces -- "Radio: An Innovative Way of Communicating"
Individual Performance
* Paige Smith, Garces -- "Women Actors? Changing the Face of Theatre"
Individual Exhibit
* Farah Hasta, Garces -- "Ballet: A Leap Forward in the Arts"
* Seth Champness, Garces -- "The Geo Cooler: A Revolution in Well Temperature Control"
* Demetria Hayman -- "Tanks"
Group Website
* Bobby Hill and Alex Giumarra, Garces -- "The Tank and Its Impact on Warfare"
Source, Kern County Superintendent of Schools
KERN COUNTY HISTORY DAY WINNERS
Images
Pond Elementary School students, Kaelan Moore, left, Patty Casas, center, and Cianna Garcia, right, sit next to their History Day project, Saturday, at the University Square waiting for the judges to come around and judge their project. Dozens of area students from 4th grade through 12th compete in the Kern County History Day competition. Their project was entitled, The Invention of the Match.
Judges in the annual Kern County History Day competition, Norman Hutcherson, rear left, Bill Roberts, rear center, and Ofelia Garcia, right rear, look at DiGiorgio Elementary School students project including, Carlos Medina, left, Jose Ramirez, Armando Gone, second from right, and Alexis Lopez, right. Their project was entitled, Bombers Change & Impact. DiGiorgio is between Wasco and McFarland, according to the students who worked on the project. The Airplane project in the foreground was created by Alicante students in Lamont and they are not in this photo.
It was easy for four students at Discovery Elementary School to pick a project that fit Kern County History Day's theme, "Innovation in History: Impact and Change," sixth-grader Gabriela Hinojosa said.
The innovative invention her team focused on has tremendously helped one of her partners who is suffering from valley fever, she said.
"Blood transfusions have saved people's lives," Hinojosa said, standing in front of the presentation that showcased a donor bag filled with water with red food coloring.
For the 27th annual competition on Saturday, Hinojosa's team presented an exhibit that helped earn her group a trip to the state history day competition that has elementary and high school students conduct extensive research on history topics they choose.
About 140 students from 22 county schools, with 70 entries, participated in this year's competition. About 50 local educators and local historians served as judges.
For the competition, students must analyze and explain their topic's historical significance through research papers, websites, exhibits, performances or documentaries. They cite sources and interview real people.
That was the case with a Fruitvale Junior High team of two who interviewed a descendant of Nikola Tesla, inventor of the Tesla coil -- an electric current device -- for their project on "Innovations of Light, Battle of the Currents."
The students also looked at microfilm while researching at Cal State Bakersfield's library.
On Saturday, they displayed a Tesla coil they made at University Square in downtown Bakersfield.
"We use electricity everyday," said Makay Moss, a seventh-grader at Fruitvale, standing next to his partner, Olivia Belda. "The only time we notice (electricity) is when we don't have it, like when the power goes out."
Other projects focused on things like photography, cell phones, Megan's Law and the impact of tanks on warfare. Students begin projects as early as the start of the school year.
Christine Frazier, Kern County Superintendent of Schools, said students every year put in a tremendous amount of work for the extracurricular activity. And parents and teachers are very supportive, she said.
"To see our nation's history through their eyes is spectacular," she told students and parents during an awards presentation at Bakersfield High School's Harvey Auditorium.
National History Day is an academic program that has more than 500,000 students participate nationwide, according to the University of Maryland, home of the history day national competition.
Local winners move on to the state competition May 6 through 9 in Pasadena. State winners go on to National History Day in June to Maryland.
But it's not all about winning, said history teacher and Fruitvale coach Lori Maynard. Students "learn by doing research."
"They remember this their whole life," said Maynard, who has been coaching history day for 10 years.
Last year, five Fruitvale Junior High students, including Hinojosa's big sister, took first place medals and $1,000 to divide at National History Day.
The group represented Kern County as one of the two groups from California that made it to nationals.
Their 2009 project and presentation was on Sylvia Mendez, a Mexican-American Orange County resident whose parents fought for desegregation of schools. The landmark California Supreme Court case Mendez vs. Westminster ended segregation in California and paved the way for the more well-known case Brown vs. Board of Education.
Fruitvale also won at nationals in 2006.
