History fair steers students into new research skills

Julie Smith/ News Tribune
Judges listen as Emma Jett delivers an oral presentation on "The Life of Lester Parker" during a history fair Friday at Lighthouse Preparatory Academy. From near to far,  Mark Brinkmann, Chris Moreland and Cara Start hear information about Parker, who Jett, at far end, researched  and discoverd was a painter, a songwriter and shoe company owners in Jefferson City in the early 1900's. Students researched and made nearly three dozen story boards for judges, parents and visitors to learn about a host of different people, places,  things and ideas.
Julie Smith/ News Tribune Judges listen as Emma Jett delivers an oral presentation on "The Life of Lester Parker" during a history fair Friday at Lighthouse Preparatory Academy. From near to far, Mark Brinkmann, Chris Moreland and Cara Start hear information about Parker, who Jett, at far end, researched and discoverd was a painter, a songwriter and shoe company owners in Jefferson City in the early 1900's. Students researched and made nearly three dozen story boards for judges, parents and visitors to learn about a host of different people, places, things and ideas.

Lighthouse Preparatory Academy juniors and seniors stepped into the shoes of researchers Friday as they sought to answer history-based research questions.

The history fair, a decade-long tradition, tasks students with choosing a research question, rather than simply a topic, and searching for answers through a variety of sources.

"The first many years of school, students are learning how to report on other people's academic information but the idea behind this is that they take that a step further, like they would in college, and have to ask their own research question," said Mary Alexander, a teacher and organizer.

It's a challenge, but it represents the "next academic step" for the students, she said.

The contest is judged by 15 community volunteers, and a donor provides the cash incentives of $40, $60 and $100 for the top-three finishers.

The project takes nine weeks and is the culmination of their third-quarter efforts.

"We believe it helps them with their critical thinking, it helps them communicate ... and also synthesize nine weeks of information and reports," Alexander said. Students also write a 10-page paper the judges don't see and must display decorated boards while giving a three-minute speech about the topic.

Paxton Schrimpf presented on how COVID-19 affected the world. Impacts included many deaths, mental health effects, increased unemployment and shutdowns. It also contributed to remote work and exploration of new hobbies for some at home, he said.

Schrimpf said he felt the topic came easily to him because he had studied it. He said he dealt with the issue of misinformation or changing information about COVID-19 by searching for lots of different sources and seeing what information was widely agreed upon.

There were a variety of topics presented in many creative ways. There were presentations on the history of the mullet, the history of Valentine's Day, advanced technology of ancient civilizations, the evolution of Japanese automobiles, the impact of the Federal-Aid Highway Act, and the significance of American Girl dolls.

Senior Elexiana Rodriguez gave a presentation on how the post-war treatment of soldiers affected the mental health of a generation.

Soldiers returning from the war were met with judgment and hostility, yet people did not realize that many of the soldiers were suffering from PTSD or other mental health problems. For some, it had long-term effects.

Rodriguez said she chose the topic because she had family members who served in the war and returned as "different people."

Along the way, she picked up research skills.

"I actually learned how to do an annotated bibliography, which I had never done before, but it really helped with putting my essay together. It basically wrote the essay for me," Rodriguez said.

"My dad is very compassionate and has a lot of love for veterans of the Vietnam War," she added. "And that's part of the reason that I was inspired to do this, was just seeing his love and kindness for those who have served, and it just made me want to tell people what they experienced and that they do deserve recognition for all that they did."

The judges narrowed down the field of 34 students to six finalists, who presented again to everyone.

Caitlyn Thompson's presentation on female special agents during World War II earned first place, Chloe Kadow's presentation on the assassination of John F. Kennedy earned her second place and Marshall Reinkemeyer, who presented on integrative vs. self-assertive tendencies, earned third place.

photo Julie Smith/News Tribune Lighthouse Preparatory Academy senior Caitlyn Thompson talks about female World War II spies that helped the United States secure information and win battles. Hers was one of nearly three dozen displays by students at the school who did research and made the information boards and delivered an oral presentation Friday in the school's gymnasium. Volunteer judges listened to students within their assigned group and announced a section winner who then stood for a three-minute oratory in front of all the judges to determine the winner.
photo Julie Smith/News Tribune History fair judges Adam and Emily Feiner and Missy Creed McFerron, at right, compare notes to see what total the group had after hearing multiple presentations on various subjects at the fair at Lighthouse Preparatory Academy Friday. Overall, they were pleased with what they had heard from students.
photo Julie Smith/News Tribune History fair judges are shown seated at the table as students prepared to deliver more on the topic they had chosen.