By Cindy Woodruff, PSC Founder and President
You could almost hear the sighs of relief as hundreds of teens completed their presentations at the annual Maryland History Day Competition on April 27. Held at University of Maryland Baltimore County, this program is sponsored by the Maryland Humanities Council with this year’s theme: Turning Points in History. Students expressed this theme through websites, performances, exhibits, papers and documentaries. I was honored to judge the Middle School Group Website competition and the finals in the Middle School Individual Performance competition. We also nominated students for Special Prizes and the Peace Study Center offers two of these special prizes.
Winning is no easy feat. In order to participate in the Maryland History Day, students first had to win at their county or city level of competition. The top two winners in each category will compete at the National History Day, held this year at the University of Maryland, College Park on June 9 to 13th. This opportunity builds research skills, knowledge of history in context, public speaking skills, teamwork, cooperation and stage presence. The students were engaged and eager to show their work.
Congratulations to the Peace Study Center Award winners: Alexandra, Gabrielle, Trelian, Teauna, and Jordan!
Student: Alexandra Fine
Topic: Gandhi’s Salt March and Revolutionizing Civil Rights in India
Category: Junior Individual Documentary
School: Eastern Middle School in Montgomery County
Teacher: Laurie Hawe, Laura Huber
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Students: Gabrielle Benjamin, Trelian Lloyd, Teauna Mitchell, Jordan Moses
Title: Armenian Genocide: How the Loss of 1.5 Million Led to the Modern Age of Mass Murder
Category: Senior Group Exhibit
School: Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Prince George’s County
Teacher: Julian Lord
Cindy is the co-founder of the Center with a 35 year career in school and public libraries. She was the director of Libraries and Archives at the Gilman School in Baltimore for many years and she currently lives and works in Delaware. Cindy has a B.A. in English from SUNY Geneseo and a MLS from UNC Chapel Hill. She also studied at the University of Nottingham for one year. Cindy supports the goals of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) and served on the USBBY Bridges to Understanding Award Committee in 2011. She served on the Caldecott Award Committee and the Geisel Award Committee of the American Library Association.
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