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Lyon Students Take Firsts in NHD Competition

	Moapa Valley Progress Participation in the National History Day Competition in Las Vegas increases every year, yet Mack Lyon Middle School students annually walk away winners! Each year a very general theme is announced around which students select a topic, do in-depth research, and present a project in one of five categories. This year’s theme was “Conflict and Compromise.” A new category was added this year called “Web Page Design.”		Mack Lyon students were first place winners in National History Day Competition. Pictured l to r Jacob Allum, John Rockenbach, L’yrsa McMurray and Kenna McMurray
	John Rockenbach and Jacob Allum teamed up and decided that category suited them the best. They researched the Treaty of Versailles and came up with the title, “The Treaty that Ended One Conflict and Started Another.” They were the first-place winners in their category, so they now advance to Nationals held at the University of Baltimore in Maryland. This was a year for group entries: Kenna McMurray and L’yrsa McMurray entered in the group performance category. This category had the most participants, but their flawless performance earned them first place! Their topic was the Salem Witch Trials. They choreographed an interesting piece in which they played dual roles. First, they enacted a scene from a jail cell in 1692. Then, after a record-setting quick-change of 14 seconds, they emerged on stage again as modern-day teens discussing the witch trials. This allowed them to do a historical analysis of the mass hysteria. A lot of work goes into these performances. Kenna and L’yrsa wrote and then memorized a ten minute play. Mrs. Bev Bradley, the NHD advisor, said she was “totally impressed” with all the students’ efforts. Unfortunately, there is no funding available to help pay the students way to Nationals. So if anyone wishes to donate, please write a check to Lyon Middle School with a notation that it is for NHD. The funds will be divided evenly among students going to College Park, Maryland in June. Additionally, if parents are interested in having their child participate in NHD, the first step is to have them sign up for the NHD after-school club that starts in the fall. The skills they learn and hone in this club are invaluable to their future educational endeavors. They learn to compile an annotated bibliography, research using primary documents, use their creativity, and most of all, discover that learning is fun!