(Press release)

Several Central Texas students have been named winners in this year’s Texas History Day competition held in Austin, Texas, May 20th and 21st.

Corey Roberts, Katherine Parker and Ashley Kaul won first or second place honors and will advance to competition in the National History Day event to be held in College Park, Maryland, June 14-17.

Corey Roberts, an eighth-grade student at Lake Air Middle School, won first place in the Junior Division with his Historical Paper, “Beyond the Great Debaters: Melvin Tolson--Professor, Coach, Journalist, Poet, and Father of the Civil Rights Movement.” Corey is returning to the National History Day competition for the second time.

From Home School in McGregor, Ashley Kaul took second-place honors for her Historical Paper in the Junior Division, “Mary Breckinridge: An Individual Who Changed Rural Healthcare.”

Katherine Parker, an eighth-grader from Tennyson Middle School, won first place with her Web Site, “Something for All Girls: Juliette Gordon Low and the Girl Scouts.”

Austin Gorham, Joshua Owens, from Tennyson Middle Schook, took first-place for their Group Exhibit in the Junior Division, “Sanford Fleming: The Man of the Hour.”

Kennedy Sam, also from Tennyson Middle School, won first place with her Individual Junior Exhibit in the Junior Division, “Sgt. Rodney M. Davis: Beyond the Call of Duty”.

Melvin Wall, is another Tennyson Middle School student who won second place with his Individual Exhibit in the Junior Division, “The Navajo Coders: The Silent Heroes of World War II.”

Although only first- and second-place winners advance from the Texas state competition to the national event, several other Central Texas students won distinction at Texas History Day for themselves, their schools and their teachers. Winning third-place, honorable mention, being a finalist in their category, or a special award were the following:

Finalists:
Lauren Tinney, Madeline Tinney
Senior Group Performance, “Abigail Adams”
Waco High School / Ms. Courtney Copas & Mr. Tony Uzzell, teachers
Philip Whitney
Senior Individual Performance, “Helen Keller”
Waco High School / Ms. Courtney Copas & Mr. Ken Heller, teachers

Kristen Chapman
Junior Individual Performance, “Cathay Williams: Standing Alone”
Tennyson Middle School / Mrs. Sherry Mullins, teacher

Christopher Foytek, Chrishard Buhl, D'Jarvis Lancelin, & Stefan White
Junior Group Performance, “The Slave Narratives of the Works Project Administration”
Tennyson Middle School / Mrs. Sherry Mullins, teacher

Matthew Johnson
Junior Individual Documentary, “Equal Justice Under Law”
Lake Air Middle School / Ms. Mari Pitts, teacher

Special Award Winners:

C. M. CALDWELL MEMORIAL AWARD FOR TEXAS HISTORY:
Our next award is C.M. Caldwell Memorial Award for Texas History. This award encourages the study of topics that focus on Texas history. This award is provided through the generosity of
Mr. and Mrs. Clifton Caldwell in honor of Mr. Caldwell’s father, Clifton Mott Caldwell, a pioneering oil man and banker who also supported the educational programs of the Texas State Historical Association. This award is open to both the paper and exhibit categories and carries with it a $250.00 prize for both the Junior and Senior Division.
Corey Roberts
Junior Historical Paper, “Beyond the Great Debaters: Melvin Tolson--Professor, Coach, Journalist, Poet, and Father of the Civil Rights Movement”
Lake Air Middle School / Mrs. Mary Duty, teacher

David Miller
Senior Historical Paper, “Leon Jaworski”
Waco High School / Ms. Courtney Copas & Mr. Ken Heller, teachers

WILLIE LEE GAY AWARDS FOR ENTRIES ON AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY
The Willie Lee Gay Award for African-American History. Mrs. Willie Lee Gay was a longtime Junior Historian and Texas History Day sponsor at Carter G. Woodson Middle School in Houston and the first African-American commissioner to serve on the Texas Historical Commission
Corey Roberts
Junior Historical Paper, “Beyond the Great Debaters: Melvin Tolson--Professor, Coach, Journalist, Poet, and Father of the Civil Rights Movement”
Lake Air Middle School / Mrs. Mary Duty, teacher

Kennedy Sam
Junior Individual Exhibit, “Sgt. Rodney M. Davis: Beyond the Call of Duty”
Tennyson Middle School / Mrs. Sherry Mullins, teacher
THE DESCENDANTS OF AUSTIN’S OLD 300 HISTORY AWARD
The Descendents of Austin’s Old Three Hundred History Award recognizes excellence in writing
on the formation of Texas, preferably in the pre-Republic period. Winners received a medal and a monetary
prize ($100 for first place, $50 for second place). Sponsored by The Descendants of Austin’s Old Three
Hundred organization.
Michelle Herbelin
Senior Historical Paper, “Why the West Was Won: The Life and Legacy of Stephen F. Austin”
Homeschool - Waco / Mrs. Patricia Herbelin, teacher

Michelle is also an at-large member of the Junior Historians of Texas and submitted her paper to that program’s writing contest. Her paper placed 3rd and unfortunately she was unable to join us in Dallas to receive her medal and monetary prize. In addition to third place, her paper was chosen to receive the THOMAS RICKS LINDLEY MEMORIAL AWARD.
The Thomas Ricks Lindley Memorial Award was established by the friends and family
of Mr. Lindley, an avid researcher and Alamo history enthusiast. It recognizes Senior
Division papers in the Junior Historians program that demonstrate outstanding research
and writing on Texas history topics dealing with the period between 1821 and 1886. First
place carries a $300 prize and a year’s membership in the Alamo Society.

Nominees for Special Award from the Institute of Oral History, Baylor University interview:
Although Marleyna and Matthew did not receive this special award, it is a great distinction to be chosen as a nominee.
Marleyna Botello
Senior Individual Documentary, “Anne Frank”
Waco High School / Mrs. Courtney Copas & Mr. Ken Heller, teachers

Matthew Johnson
Junior Individual Documentary, “Equal Justice Under Law”
Lake Air Middle School / Ms. Mari Pitts, teacher

Outstanding HOTRHF Regional Teachers for 2009:
Mary Duty from Tennyson Middle School, Waco ISD
Daniel Pfleging from A.J. Moore Academy, Waco ISD

- 30 -

We very much appreciate your coverage of this newsworthy event. The students involved represent some outstanding young people in the Central Texas area, and they produce high quality projects. If you have questions, please contact us at the numbers above or the HOTRHF office at (254) 753-3251 or
e-mail Dena_Martin@baylor.edu

HOTRHF is a nonprofit organization. Our fourteen-county region includes Bell, Coryell, Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill, Limestone, McLennan, Milam, Robertson, Hamilton, Lampasas, Mills and Navarro counties. Schools on the above list participating at this year’s Texas History Day are Lake Air Middle School, Home School/Kaul, Home School/Herbelin, Tennyson Middle School, Waco High School