History Day
Apr. 21st, 2007 10:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pegkerrFiona spent all day today at the State competition for National History Day. She had competed at her school and at the regional level, so making it to State was a pretty big deal--she didn't get that far last year. She gave me a call partway through the afternoon, excited, to tell me that they had made it past the first round and so had a shot to go to Nationals.
This year's theme was "Triumph and Tragedy." She was on a team that had chosen to do a dramatic presentation about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire disaster. What I think made their presentation particularly good was that they placed it within the context of the strike for better working conditions that happened just before the fire, and how that framed the context of the fire and affected the subsequent trial (where the owners weaseled out with acquitals, and in the subsequent civil suit only had to pay a measly $75 for each of the 146 deceased factory workers).
Anyway, she was very hopeful, and so was subsequently crushed when they didn't win. What particularly made it hard to swallow was that the announcer announced the Honorable Mentions and then said, "And now the remaining teams will be going to Nationals," which meant that they were jumping around with joy--and then the announcer corrected himself, saying, "Oh, sorry, we miscounted and have three more Honorable Mentions to announce"--and then they were called up. Talk about disappointment. She came home, exhausted, and then cried in my arms for almost an hour, poor thing. They had worked so hard, and I felt so badly for her.
But (I must admit) I am also secretly and selfishly rather relieved. I mean, yes, it would have been absolutely fantastic if they could have gone. But Lord--the possibility that she might actually go to Nationals was not even on my radar screen when she left this morning. And we would have somehow had to come up with the money for travel to Washington D.C. in June, which would have been extremely difficult during this period of unemployment.
Still, she's awfully disappointed.
I think she may try again at the High School division level next year.
This year's theme was "Triumph and Tragedy." She was on a team that had chosen to do a dramatic presentation about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire disaster. What I think made their presentation particularly good was that they placed it within the context of the strike for better working conditions that happened just before the fire, and how that framed the context of the fire and affected the subsequent trial (where the owners weaseled out with acquitals, and in the subsequent civil suit only had to pay a measly $75 for each of the 146 deceased factory workers).
Anyway, she was very hopeful, and so was subsequently crushed when they didn't win. What particularly made it hard to swallow was that the announcer announced the Honorable Mentions and then said, "And now the remaining teams will be going to Nationals," which meant that they were jumping around with joy--and then the announcer corrected himself, saying, "Oh, sorry, we miscounted and have three more Honorable Mentions to announce"--and then they were called up. Talk about disappointment. She came home, exhausted, and then cried in my arms for almost an hour, poor thing. They had worked so hard, and I felt so badly for her.
But (I must admit) I am also secretly and selfishly rather relieved. I mean, yes, it would have been absolutely fantastic if they could have gone. But Lord--the possibility that she might actually go to Nationals was not even on my radar screen when she left this morning. And we would have somehow had to come up with the money for travel to Washington D.C. in June, which would have been extremely difficult during this period of unemployment.
Still, she's awfully disappointed.
I think she may try again at the High School division level next year.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-22 05:28 am (UTC)Do you remember what you did your project(s) on?
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-27 02:35 am (UTC)Another year I did James Meredith: Integrating Ole Miss, and interviewed one of the guardsmen who'd been sent to Ole Miss when he went. Went to state w/that also.
Made it to National with Krieges, a project on German POWs (as in prisoners of the Germans) in WWII, for which I interviewed my great-uncle, who very generously and kindly taped an interview for me and lent me his Purple Heart for my display. Had postmarks from the camps he was in, too.
Also made it to National with Juliette Lowe my freshman year of high school, but opted not to go. . .I can't explain why, except for a feeling I had about it. As it turns out, it may have been a premonition of sorts; my doctors later said that I might well have collapsed had I attempted that competition, considering my condition with the Hodgkin's at that time. . .it hadn't yet been diagnosed, but it was definitely there and compressing my lungs.
Best of luck to her! Here's to the High School division next year. . . . :) And consolations on everything in the meantime. . . .