On February 29, 167 students representing 12 schools throughout East Tennessee gathered at the University of Tennessee Student Union in Knoxville to compete at East Tennessee History Day, a regional competition of National History Day. Throughout the year, middle and high school students researched topics surrounding the 2023-2024 Turning Points in History theme, then presented their research at this competition in one of five categories – exhibits, performances, papers, documentaries, and websites.
First and second place winners, with third place winners serving as alternates, will advance to the state National History Day competition, Tennessee History Day, sponsored by the Tennessee Historical Society, on April 20, 2024. From there, state winners will advance to nationals in College Park, Maryland, in June 2024. Regional contest co-sponsors the East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) and the University of Tennessee’s Department of History congratulate and commend these students and their teachers on their hard work and success.
“Students engaged with and impressed judges at the East Tennessee History Day regional contest as they do each year,” said Lisa Oakley, ETHS Vice President and Curator of Education. “The National History Day 2024 theme, Turning Points in History, inspired impressive projects, many of which will advance on to the state contest in April.”
About the National History Day Competition
National History Day (NHD) grew out of a history fair that originated in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1974 and quickly expanded to numerous states, with the first national competition held in 1980 in Washington, D.C. Each year, roughly one million students participate in the NHD program. National History Day competitions engage middle and high school students in discovering the historical, cultural, and social experiences of the past through conducting extensive research, interpreting information, and drawing conclusions. For more information, visit nhd.org.
Stay in touch with the East Tennessee Historical Society.
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First Place
Rocket 88: A Turning Point in Music History
Alex Bradley
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Nicole Whitecotton
Second Place
Naval Aviation: The Turning Point that Changed the U.S. Navy Forever
Reagan Rousayne
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Stephen Otis
Third Place
The Creation of Fender
Nick Disney
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Stephen Otis
First Place
The Demand Regulator: Scuba’s Most Influential Turning Point
Bryan Spannaus and Tristan Walker
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Stephen Otis
Second Place
Tsar Bomba, The Day the Earth Moved: A Weapon that Changed History
Ryan Bacon and Cole Vanderlinde
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Stephen Otis
Third Place
The First Successful Kidney Transplant: Its Impact on Medicine and the World
Nonavea Rodgers and Lillian “Lilly” Blanton
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Nicole Whitecotton
First Place
Air Jordan: The Dawn of Athlete Branding
Ethan Gray
Clayton-Bradley Academy, Teacher: Stephen Otis
Second Place
Beyond the Rainbow: Technicolor in Cinematic History
Colette O’Dell
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Nicole Whitecotton
Third Place
Chernobyl: A Turning Point in History
Ava Stooksbury
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Stephen Otis
First Place
Pedaling the Path to Equality
Tori Goff, Nadya Alborz, Claire Bollschweiler
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Nicole Whitecotton
Second Place
Kate Warne: Detective in Disguise
Lydia Simmons and Ella Brewer
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Nicole Whitecotton
Third Place
The Salem Witch Trials: Mass Hysteria
Vivian Le, Kyra Kirkland, Miller Hutchinson, Stella Prudente
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Stephen Otis
First Place
DNA Analysis: A Turning Point in Criminology
Allison Lamar
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Nicole Whitecotton
Second Place
The Battle of Stalingrad: The Turning Point in World War II
Sebastian Perkey
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Stephen Otis
Third Place
The History of Pinyin: The Turning Point in the Chinese Language
Judd Graves
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Nicole Whitecotton
First Place
Empowering Generations: Patsy Mink—A Trailblazer in Women’s History
Anadi Patel
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Nicole Whitecotton
Second Place
The Effect of the Bombing of Pearl Harbor Through the Eyes of the Citizens of Pearl Harbor
Bella Stanford
Cedar Bluff Middle School; Teacher: Maureen Schenk
First Place
The First National Bank and its Predecessors
Lyla Navo and Piper Williams
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Nicole Whitecotton
Second Place
First Women Voters in New Zealand
Alexa Mekelburg, Katelyn Rousayne, Miela Towle, Finley Sigler, Hannah Jones
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Stephen Otis
Third Place
The Tennis Career of Chris Evert
Evelina Bostick and Emma Andresen
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Stephen Otis
First Place
From Mines to Mainstream: Levi’s, a Symbol of Change
Anjali Devarakonda
Farragut Middle School; Teacher: Krystal Darrow
Second Place
Tanner School: A Symbol of Changing Opportunity in East Tennessee
Cayton Griffin
Cosby Elementary; Teacher: April Griffin
Third Place
Tinker Vs. Des Moines: The Turning Point Behind Student Voices
Doaa Soliman
Farragut Middle School; Teacher: Krystal Darrow
First Place
Judi Chamberlin and the March for Justice: Turning Points in History
Georgina Jones and Alexandra Margetis
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Nicole Whitecotton
Second Place
The Manhattan Project: How a Secret City Changed the World
Dylan Basowski, Rameen Alborz, Connor Patterson
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Stephen Otis
Third Place
9-11: The Day that Changed the World
Kiri Fellenbaum and Saylor Heim
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Stephen Otis
First Place
Kitty Genovese and the Creation of 911
Teagan McKenna
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz
Second Place
How the Black Death Inspired Society
Stella DeLuca
West High School; Teacher: Erin Grigsby
Third Place
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Thomas Place
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz
First Place
Women’s Suffrage in East Tennessee
Leigha Woody and Laney Owens
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz
Second Place
The Revival of the Pigeon River
Alexis McCarter and Brooke Freeman
Cosby High School; Teacher: April Griffin
Third Place
Apollo 11: The Landing that Changed America
Christian Rymer and Addison Woods
Cosby High School; Teacher: April Griffin
First Place
The Body Farm: A Turning Point in Forensic Anthropology
Isabella Malone
Sevier County Junior High School; Teacher: Rebecca Byrd
Second Place
Turning the Trajectory: The Johnson-Reed Immigration Act of 1924
Molly Bohanan
Sevier County High School; Teacher: Rebecca Byrd
Third Place
Florence Nightingale
Claire Holt
Cosby High School; Teacher: April Griffin
First Place
Imagining Literacy: Dolly Parton’s Effect on Childhood Literacy
Sam Hutapea, Kyle Harper, Katie Harper, Lizzie Borrego
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Karen Stanish
Second Place
Upwelling and Darwin’s Coral Reef Theory
Yugi Wang and Margaret Spencer
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz
Third Place
Stalingrad
Will Sharbel and JP Peace
West High School; Teacher: Erin Grigsby
First Place
Perry Wallace and the SEC
Niko Christian
West High School; Teacher: Erin Grigsby
Second Place
German Nationalism Before and After the Treaty of Versailles
Gloria Habiyaremye
L&N Stem Academy, Teacher: Andrew Fultz
Third Place
Half a Century of Fear: How One Nuclear Test Changed America
Colton Pruitt
West High School, Teacher: Stephen Longo
First Place
The Cherokee Syllabary: A Turning Point in Native American Education, Geo-Political Communication, and Intra-Tribal Gender Relations
Zee Carnes
Disco Institute; Teacher: Elithe Carnes
Second Place
The Fanatic Fujiwara Follower
Jameson Neubauer
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz
First Place
The Articles of Confederation
Sadie Jones, Ani Larsen, Farida Fathalla, and Melanie Milliken
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Karen Stanish
First Place
A Daunting Effort: How War Was Turned in the Pacific
Ethan Benson
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Karen Stanish
Second Place
The Titanic: NHD Documentary
Eathon Phillips
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz
Third Place
Exploring the Milgram Experiment
Gwendolyn Henry
West High School; Teacher: Stephen Longo
First Place
The First Insulin Shot: A Turning Point in History
Ansiley Wright and Cadie Wilson
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Karen Stanish
Second Place
Donald Triplett: A Turning Point in American History
Quinn Livingston and Addison Preston
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz
Third Place
Rhymes and Repercussions: How the War on Drugs Impacted the Birth of Hip-Hop
Gabriel Ensminger and Diondre Jackson
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Andrew Fultz
Senior Individual Performance
The Cherokee Syllabary: A Turning Point in Native American Education, Geo-Political Communication, and Intra-Tribal Gender Relations
Zee Carnes
Disco Institute; Teacher: Elithe Carnes
Junior Individual Documentary
Tanner School: A Symbol of Changing Opportunity in East Tennessee
Cayton Griffin
Cosby Elementary; Teacher: April Griffin
First Place
Junior Individual Documentary
Tinker Vs. Des Moines: The Turning Point Behind Student Voices
Doaa Soliman
Farragut Middle School; Teacher: Krystal Darrow
2nd Place
Junior Group Exhibit
Pedaling the Path to Equality
Tori Goff, Nadya Alborz, Claire Bollschweiler
Clayton-Bradley Academy; Teacher: Nicole Whitecotton
First Place
Senior Group Exhibit
Imagining Literacy: Dolly Parton’s Effect on Childhood Literacy
Sam Hutapea, Kyle Harper, Katie Harper, Lizzie Borrego
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Karen Stanish
Second Place
Senior Individual Documentary
A Daunting Effort: How War Was Turned in the Pacific
Ethan Benson
L&N STEM Academy; Teacher: Karen Stanish
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By David J. Gerleman
published in the Journal of East Tennessee History, Vol 91, 2019
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In 1784, western settlers created the State of Franklin because they felt neglected by North Carolina’s distant government. Franklin reflected the Revolution’s ideas of self-government and representation, but conflicts with Cherokee communities and internal political divisions led to its collapse. Despite failing, Franklin helped shape the political development of what became Tennessee.
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While Americans celebrate July 4, 1776, as the birth of the nation, the story of independence unfolded very differently on the Appalachian frontier. In what is now East Tennessee, settlers and Cherokee communities faced years of conflict, diplomacy, and uncertainty as the American Revolution reshaped the region. This article explores how the fight for independence was experienced beyond Philadelphia, where the meaning of freedom was forged in frontier cabins, forts, and contested lands.