Two Local Students Advance In National Competition

Two Cocke County High School students are among 61 students that will represent the state of Tennessee in the National History Day competition. History Day is a year-long competition in which students in grades 6-12 compete by submitting group or individual projects about people and events of historical significance. Each project is in one of five categories: documentaries, exhibits, performances, websites or papers and relates to this year’s theme, Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences. Caden Ford and Olivia Hicks who are students at Cosby High School and they took second place in the Senior Group Documentary category at this year’s Tennessee History Day competition with their project, How Diplomacy Saved Football. Also, Cosby High School Students Lexie Barnes, Chesnie Barnes and Chris Brown, earned third place in the Senior Group Performance category with their project, Aloha ‘Oe: How Diplomacy Failed Hawaii. All those students were under the guidance of teacher Hillary Griffin who was awarded the Patricia Behring Educator of the Year, Senior Division. Griffin was one of just two teachers honored during this year’s Tennessee History Day competition. The National History Day competition is hosted virtually by the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., and it will take place next week, June 12-18. Caden Ford & Olivia Hicks will be among the other students from Tennessee to compete with students from across the country for prestigious awards and scholarships. So, congratulations to Caden, Olivia and the other students and also to teacher Hillary Griffin. For more information about Tennessee History Day, visit tennesseehistory.org/tennessee-history-day/