Fair Gives Students Fresh Focus on History
By Amy Polk

Les Cheneaux fourth grade students (from left) Cynthia Barowski, Sarah Briggs, and Dylan Mathews presented a miniature Mackinac Bridge project with lights, cars, and tiny boats floating below the span at the school's first social studies fair. The piers of the bridge are anchored in homemade clay, atop "water" painted on a closet door. The fair's theme was Triumph and Tragedy, and the bridge represents one of the state's greatest engineering triumphs.

Social history and the events that shaped American society were brought to life by students at Les Cheneaux Community Schools participating in local and regional social studies fairs. From a life sized tee-pee to a miniature gallows for hanging witches to a costumed reenactment, students depicted significant moments in history.

The theme Triumph and Tragedy complies with standards established by the National History Day program that qualify participants for the national social studies fair in mid-June at the University of Maryland. Students who make it to the national fair will compete for cash prizes up to $5,000.

Cedarville was the only high school to participate in the December 1 regional competition, and Les Cheneaux Elementary also competed. Adam Dingman won first place for his project about Rwandan genocide, Ali Eberts won second place with her entry about the Civil Rights Movement, and Eric Kozma took third place with a history of guns. Les Cheneaux fifth grade students Maddie Cardwell and Sarah Landreville placed second with their project, "A Day in the Life of a Native American."

Kelley Wright, a fifth grade student at Les Cheneaux Elementary, explains to judges Kate Ter Haar and Ronda McGreevy (not visible in the picture) how women thought to be witches were tried and sentenced to death in early New England during the Salem Witch Trials. Her social studies fair entry represented one of America's historical tragedies.

The regional fair in Sault Ste. Marie consolidated winners from district level fairs in November. The top three winners in each age category will be recommended by the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District (ISD) for state competition in April and contest coordinators will determine if the projects can move on.

Retired Cedarville High School history and social studies teacher John Milkowski writes down his observations while judging a project during the Les Cheneaux Community Schools social studies fair. (Photograph courtesy of Janet Haske, Les Cheneaux Community Schools)

Amy Scott, social studies curriculum, writing, and school improvement consultant for the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District (ISD), said winners were judged by a panel on their knowledge of the topic they presented.

"It is our hope that the students enhanced their critical thinking and problem solving skills during this activity," Mrs. Scott said. "We don't only want to give kids the knowledge, we want them to do the research on their own and find the answers to questions. The teachers had to put some time into helping make sure the projects complied with the benchmarks for learning at that grade level."

Projects for the local fair were created mainly to express historical and social themes being taught in the student's grade, and if the student moves on to the state and national competition, instructors and EUPISD staff will help the student tailor the project better for National History Day standards. The state social studies fair is April 27.

Pete Everson, superintendent of the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District, congratulates Maddie Cardwell (from left) and Sarah Landreville on their second place win in the regional social studies fair in Sault Ste. Marie. (Photograph coutesy of Janet Haske, Les Cheneaux Community Schools)

This is the second time the ISD has hosted a social studies fair, and Mrs. Scott said the participation this year shows increasing interest in getting kids excited about history and social studies. The fair was open to students in grades four through 12.

"We saw a great improvement in the projects this year from the last time we did it," she said. "The kids are so excited because they're being rewarded for academics, and something other than just athletics."

Cedarville high school and middle school teacher Gretchen Storey coordinated the first social studies fair in Cedarville this year, and she agreed with Mrs. Scott.

"This is cool for kids who like the subject and excel at this rather than other things," Mrs. Storey said, adding that it was particularly a good experience for the high school students. "I think it was something they enjoyed, and the higher level thinking that was posed to them by judges was challenging. They got to see a bit of college and had to relate their topics to history."

She said Elementary School Principal Eric Cardwell encouraged the fourth and fifth grades to participate, and wanted to ensure all schools work together to promote participation. Coordinated efforts like this are helping schools better align their curricula, she said.

The ISD plans to hold the fair every other year, giving all Eastern Upper Peninsula schools the opportunity to participate. This year, Les Cheneaux Community Schools, DeTour Area Schools, Sault Area Schools, and Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting all held social studies fairs, and all of the schools except DeTour participated in the regional fair.

Les Cheneaux Schools Social Studies Fair winners include: for fourth grade: First place - Sarah Briggs, Dylan Mathews, and Cynthia Barowski for their realistic, miniature Mackinac Bridge, complete with tiny "lights" and crossing cars. Second place - Maddie Kohlman, Brett Masuga, and Joey Duncan for their Isle Royale project.

Fifth grade: First place - Hope Nightlinger, for her life-sized teepee and slide show depicting Native American homes. Second place - Maddy Cardwell and Sarah Landreville - "A Day in the Life of a Native American," complete with costumes. Third - Kelley Wright for her miniature scenes of the Salem Witch Trials.

Eighth grade: First - Brent Heerspink and Ian McGreevy for their depiction of the Underground Railroad. Second - Danielle Weaver and Erin Winberg for a Lewis and Clark Expedition project.

High School: First - Alice Coyne and Emily Winberg for their report on the Civil War; and Ali Eberts for a handwritten "newspaper" display about the Civil Rights Movement. Second - Adam Dingman's report on Rwandan genocide. Third - Eric Kozma's "History of Guns."