8th graders outshine in regional History Day competition 

Canyon Ridge Middle School was a juggernaut and had both the highest participation of any school and amazing performance in each category at the regional Central Texas History Day competition last month. 

“Our students did an outstanding job! It was a really amazing day – all of the students and parents who participated were so enthusiastic,” shared Cheryl Kleffner, of the event held February 18.   

In addition, Sarah Coffee, was nominated for and named as a finalist for the DeBoer teacher of the year award for Texas History Day.

All students who placed first or second will go on to compete at the state level for Texas History Day on April 15.

Group Documentary

  • First Place: Ana Bolshakova, Judy Song for Deep Blue vs. Kasparov: The Frontier-Breaking Match Between Man and Machine
  • Second Place: Aaron Bielik, Alexavier Miranda and Shaurya Singh for The Video Camera That Changed The World!

Group Exhibit

  • First Place: Emma Edington and Brooke Oatman for Mary Edwards Walker: The Women Who Created Frontiers in Medicine and Women’s Rights
  • Second Place: Aarya Apte, Aadya Ganjalagunte, and Sanya Hooda for Evolution Of Prosthetics

Group Performance

  • First Place: Abbie Hurley, Elena Nassar, Sophie Smetana and Kat Wilson for Thomas Gallaudet: Crossing Frontiers in Deaf Communication!

Group Website

  • Second Place: Vinisha Gandhi, Cora Harper, and Sean Paz for Project Echo

Individual Documentary

  • First Place: Abigail Xu for Anna May Wong: The Toll of Stardom

Individual Exhibit

  • Second Place: Alicia Valeiro Vázquez for From the cotton fields to manufacturing hair goods: How Madam C.J. Walker became the first female self-made millionaire in America
  • Third Place: Shaye Wirth for Political Playgrounds: How The Kyoto Protocol Introduced a Frontier in Addressing Environmental Policy

Paper

  • Second Place: Oorja Kumar for Elizabeth Blackwell: The First Female Physician Who Crossed the Frontier for Equality in the Medical Profession
  • Third Place: Emerson Fitzgerald for Dorothy Arzner: Pioneering a Path for the Future Female Directors of Hollywood and the Film Industry