A Blair Oaks Middle School student's performance about the impact of a British Red Cross nurse in World War I has earned her a spot to compete for her own day in history at National History Day this summer.
Blair Oaks sixth-grader Maria Brown's first-place performance on Edith Cavell on April 27 at the state contest for National History Day at the University of Missouri means she has advanced to compete at national level National History Day at the University of Maryland in June.
National History Day is an academic program "focused on historical research, interpretation and creative expression" for sixth- to 12th-grade students, according to the program's website.
Each National History Day in Missouri project is "a result of extensive research and creativity from an individual student or group. The program encourages young scholars to present their findings their way through documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances or websites," according to the state affiliate of the national program.
Brown's first-place performance at state out of six finalists in junior individual performance fit the 2019 theme of "Triumph and Tragedy" through the story of Cavell, who was executed in 1915 for helping British, French and Belgian soldiers escape German forces in Belgium, according to Britain's Imperial War Museums.
Cavell worked in English hospitals before accepting a position as matron at Belgium's first training hospital and school for nurses, and Cavell's "pioneering work led her to be considered the founder of modern nursing education in that country," according to the Imperial War Museums.
When World War I broke out, Cavell returned to Brussels, Belgium, and the nursing school became a Red Cross hospital that treated casualties among soldiers from both sides and civilians.
Cavell became part of a network to get British, French and Belgian soldiers out of the German-occupied city and out of the country she helped about 200 soldiers do so before she was arrested, placed in solitary confinement, tried at court martial and shot by firing squad.
Brown was awarded the American Association of University Women Women's History special prize for her presentation - "Red Cross Triumph and Tragedy: An Insight into Edith Cavell" - according to National History Day in Missouri's news release on Brown's win at the state competition.
"The experience was very positive, and I would recommend this to anyone," Brown said in the news release.
To get involved in National History Day in Missouri, contact the State Historical Society of Missouri at 573-882-7083.
"The impact on students is tremendous: they build confidence, develop their critical thinking and learn important communication skills," State Historical Society of Missouri Executive Director Gary Kremer said in the news release of National History Day in Missouri.
Brown's teacher listed with her first-place win at state is Ruthie Caplinger of Blair Oaks Middle School's gifted student program.
More information about National History Day is available at nhd.org.