Winners Crowned at 27th Annual Omaha District History Day

The Durham Museum hosted the 27th annual Omaha District History Day Competition on March 1 and
2. More than 340 students in grades six through 12 competed in various categories, including exhibits, documentaries,
performances, historical papers and websites. The theme for the 2017 competition was Taking a Stand in History.
Entries placing first, second, third and fourth in their categories are eligible to compete at the state level contest at
Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday April 8, 2017. First and second placed winners at the
state level will have the opportunity to compete at the Kenneth E. Berhing National Contest at the University of
Maryland in College Park, Maryland from June 11-15, 2017.
The Durham Museum is pleased to announce the 2017 winners (Student/Place, Topic, School and Teacher):

Junior (Grades 6−8) Individual Performance
4th place – Dylan Vaughn
Black Hawk – Standing Above Others
Monroe Middle School
Teacher: Ruth Puls

3rd place – Grace Titus
Alice Paul
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

2nd place – Liliana McMahon
Stonewall Riots
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

1st place – Alexandria Schmidt
The Black Panther Party
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

Junior (Grades 6−8) Group Performance
4th place – Cooper Simons, Ian Sexton, Carly Nichols, Alyssa Jordahl, and Ryan Akey
Taking a Stand against British Taxes: The Boston Tea Party
Elkhorn Middle School
Teacher: Lindsay Hollman

3rd place – Laila Klare and Pangaea Kaan
The Flower Children who changed the World
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

2nd place – Brenna Whitten, Alex Hackett, Gianna Aurit, Aanya Mishra, and Grace Ulrich
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Woman Who Took a Stand for Women’s Suffrage in the US and Sparked a Revolution all
Around the World
Elkhorn Valley View Middle School
Teacher: Leigh Geis

1st place – Erin Dickinson, Grace Khayati, Katelyn Squires
Newsboys Rebellion of 1899
La Vista Middle School
Teacher: Peg Alexander

Junior (Grades 6−8) Individual Documentary
4th place – Claire Bingaman
The History of Japanese Animation in Japan and in America
La Vista Middle School
Teacher: Peg Alexander

3rd place – Timothy Haupt
Howl Obscenity Trial
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

2nd place – Jackson Walenz
Labor Songs: The Backbone of the American Labor Movement
Beveridge Magnet School
Teacher: Sheila McCauley

1st place – Liam Wiig
The Broadstreet pump Cholera Outbreak
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

Junior (Grades 6−8) Group Documentary
4th place – Devlin McCann and Jonathon Gilmore
Freedom Riders and the struggle for racial equality
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Paula Sinnett

3rd place – Aleah Welton and Britney Angeles
Crazy Horse: Lakota Sioux Chief
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

2nd place – Celia McCaslin, Kendall Backora, and Mollie Petersen
Sophie Scholl and her Stand against Hitler
Elkhorn Middle School
Teacher: Lindsay Hollman

1st place – Frances Gray and Abby Meyer
Taking the Podium: Antonia Brico
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

Junior (Grades 6−8) Individual Website
4th place – John Mitchell
The Battle of Gettysburg
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

3rd place – Ellie Maguire
Title IX: Becky Hammon Helps NBA Get Their Head In the Game
St. Cecilia Cathedral School
Teacher: Becky Petersen

2nd place – Vladimir Handlos
The Harlem Hellfighters
Mission Middle School
Teacher: Brent Myers

1st place – Olivia Theophilus
Tiananmen Square: Tank Man
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

Junior (Grades 6−8) Group Website
4th place – Sophia Drickey and Elsa Sewell
Deborah Sampson: Fighting for Equality in the Front Lines
St. Cecilia Cathedral School
Teacher: Becky Petersen

3rd place – Kailyn Dunham, Nevaeh Sanders, and Eli Smith
Belle Boyd: Confederate Trailblazer
Ralston Middle School
Teacher: Mindy Podraza

2nd place – Grace Belter and Kylee Matousek
“The Great Father” & “Bright Eyes”: Two Lives Dedicated to Fighting Against Native American Oppression
Ralston Middle School
Teacher: Mindy Podraza

1st place – Lindsey Johnston and Neligh Rush
From Boys Town to the Battlefield: Father Flanagan and the Stories of World War II
Ralston Middle School
Teacher: Mindy Podraza

Junior (Grades 6−8) Group Exhibit
4th place – Keely Lopez, Amelia Collins
Winston Churchill
Lewis and Clark Middle School
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

3rd place – Ava Burk, Marley Dodenhof
Susan B. Anthony: The Right to Vote
Lewis and Clark Middle School
Teacher: Paula Sinnett

2nd place – Evelyn Stuck, Laura Nelsen
Amelia Earhart
La Vista Middle School
Teacher: Peg Alexander

1st place – Alecsis Moguilner, Logan Phipps
‘Do it Well and Do it Now’ The Danish Resistance of World War II
La Vista Middle School
Teacher: Peg Alexander

Junior (Grades 6−8) Paper
4th place –Elana Elder
The Women of Dagenham Stand Strong
Beveridge Magnet School
Teacher: Sheila McCauley

3rd place – Anna Voelker
Nelson Mandela: Taking a Stand for Equality in South Africa
St. Robert Bellarmine
Teacher: Chris Dziadus

2nd place – Sydney Schmidt
Taking a Stand Against Racial Segregation
St. Robert Bellarmine
Teacher: Chris Dziadus

1st place – Sara Vance
Susan La Flesche Picotte
Mission Middle School
Teacher: Brent Myers

Junior (Grades 6−8) Individual Exhibit
4th place – Neva Allgood
Harvey Milk
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

3rd place – Tristan Rainey
The Man Who Saved Many-Hugh Thompson
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

2nd place – Jack Foell
Scandinavia during WWII
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

1st place – Ada White
Alexander Hamilton
Lewis and Clark Middle
Teacher: Melissa Shrago

Seniors (Grades 9-12) Paper
4th place – Ashley Straub
Harriet Beecher Stowe: Taking a Stand to End Slavery, 1811-1896
Marian High School
Teacher: David Anderson

3rd place – Lillian Kraft
Dorothea Dix
Mercy High School
Teacher: Brooks Humphreys

2nd place – Kate Brashear
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Taking a Stand for Women’s Suffrage
Marian High School
Teacher: David Anderson

1st place – Abby McGill
Eleanor Roosevelt: Taking a Stand for Human Rights
Marian High School
Teacher: David Anderson

Seniors (Grades 9-12) Group Documentary
4th place – Ava Blankman, Hannah Fenton, Annika Muse, Laura Salerno, Bridget Schroll
Jane Addams: Affecting a “Hull” Lot of Change
Mercy High School
Teacher: Brooks Humphreys

3rd place – Jeana Abboud, Mae Hoden, Annabella Glatte, Emily Rosenthal
Anne Marbury Hutchinson
Mercy High School
Teacher: Brooks Humphreys

2nd place – Natalie Harsh, Tess Hart, Claire Wulff-Morgan, Maddie Weinrich
Women in Revolt
Mercy High School
Teacher: Brooks Humphreys

1st place – Kelsie McBlain, Jack Mettin, Jacob Larsen
Tear Down This Wall: Reagan Takes a Stand for Berlin
Bellevue West High School
Teacher: Nicole Menard

Seniors (Grades 9-12) Individual Website
1st place – Hannah Kost
The Pursuit of Peace: Desmond Doss
Bellevue West High School
Teacher: Dawn Kost

Seniors (Grades 9-12) Group Website
2nd place – Claire Fink, Lexi Rains
Irena Sendler
Mercy High School
Teachers: Brooks Humphreys

1st place – Tyler Gerdes, Jake Myers
Standing in the Pocket: Marlin Briscoe Paves the Path for the Black Quarterback
Discovery Homeschool
Teacher: Michelle Myers

Seniors (Grades 9-12) Individual Exhibit
1st place – Elizabeth Ronayne
John Muir and the Fight for Yosemite
Mercy High School
Teachers: Brooks Humphreys

Seniors (Grades 9-12) Group Exhibit
4th place – Sarah Austin, Jessica DeGeorge
The Wasps in World War II
Mercy High School
Teacher: Brooks Humphreys

3rd place – Gabriela Caito, Sara Kmiecik
The Space Race
Mercy High School
Teacher: Brooks Humphreys

2nd place – Audrey Huse, Gracie Finn
Nellie Bly
Mercy High School
Teacher: Brooks Humphreys

1st place – Abigail Guinan, Maggie Moyer
The Story of Hidden Figures
Mercy High School
Teacher: Brooks Humphreys

The winner of the NEBRASKAland Foundation Award for the entry, from both Junior and Senior Divisions, which best
represents a Nebraska topic:
Standing in the Pocket: Marlin Briscoe Paves the Path for the Black Quarterback
Tyler Gerdes and Jake Myers
Discovery Homeschool
Teacher: Michelle Myers
Senior Division