Two students from Black Butte School in Camp Sherman will wing their way across the country in June to present their prize-winning research projects in National History Day competition at the University of Maryland.

Sixth-grader Jasper Hedren and Chris Garciduenas placed first in statewide competition at Willamette University April 27, earning the chance to compete at the national event June 9-13.

Hedren won the junior division (6th-8th grade) with a paper titled "Gandhi and the Strength of Non-violent Resistance." Garciduenas took first in the senior division with a table-top visual presentation on the Dali Llama.

Hedren and Garciduenas were among six Black Butte School students who placed in regional competition. Tracy Moore, Scott Schreiner, Colin Hedren and Paul Head also went to the state competition at Willamette University.

The students made presentations on the theme "Taking a Stand: Men, Groups, Movements." Their entries could consist of a 2,500-word research paper, a table-top visual presentation or a video presentation.

This is the second year Black Butte School has participated in National History Day competition and the second year students have qualified for the national finals.

"We place an emphasis on it in the classroom and spend a lot of time on it," said Toni Foster, head of Black Butte School. She said students spend about five weeks researching their projects and all the students must start by writing an annotated research paper before they can spin off into a video or visual project.

Fund-raising efforts are currently underway to pay the students' way to the University of Maryland. A car-wash was held last Saturday and another is scheduled for Memorial Weekend. A fun run is being scheduled in Camp Sherman to help raise money.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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