Library News

Eighty-four students from six middle schools and four high schools participated in the 2024 Sarasota County History Day Contest at Selby Library on February 24, showcasing fifty projects reflecting this year's National History Day theme, “Turning Points in History.” Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources in partnership with Sarasota County Schools extend special thanks to all involved, including Selby Library, volunteers, sponsors, judges, parents, and especially the teachers who integrated National History Day into their classrooms. The top two entries in each category will advance to represent Sarasota County at the Florida History Day Contest in Tallahassee on May 5-7, with an award ceremony held locally on March 21.

Junior Division (Grades 6-8):

Individual Performance:

• First Place: Madison Muller of Sarasota Middle School for "26.2 Miles: How Bobbi Gibb Defied the Stereotypes."

Group Performance:

• First Place: Simone Vaccaro, Henrik Casart, and Helena Kushner, of Booker Middle School for "The Blight of Ireland: How Potatoes Changed the World."
• Second Place: Julia Sharrock, Grace Toale, and Aanvi Patel of Sarasota Middle School for "Disease, Devastation, and Death in Ireland; An Gorta Mor."

Individual Documentary:

• First Place: Laurel Karp of Sarasota Middle School for "Upton Sinclair's The Jungle: Its Effects on Public Health and Safety."
• Second Place: Jeremiah Barker of Brookside Middle School for "How One Painting Changed the World Forever."

Group Documentary:

• First Place: Sophia Raicu and Sameera Velagapudi of Pine View School for "The Green Revolution: How Norman Borlaug Changed Agriculture Forever."
• Second Place: Julianna Lake and Ada Skadal of Sky Academy Englewood for "How did Women's Fight for Independence Affect Their Clothing?"

Historical Paper:

• First Place: Jonathan Rohrbacher of Sarasota Middle School for "The First Use of Chemical Weapons: How the 1915 Battle of Ypres Changed War Forever."
• Cameron Klare of Sarasota Middle School for "Ms. Magazine and the Growth of the Feminist Movement."

Individual Website:

• First Place: Nina Rizzo of Sarasota Middle School for "The War of 1812: A Turning Point in Early U.S. History."
• Second Place: Evan Valdivia of Sarasota Middle School for "Connecting People Through Time: The Telephone."

Group Website:

• First Place: Nicholas Brown and Sebastian Delgado-Knaack of Sarasota Middle School for "The Battle of Midway."
• Second Place: Nicole Hoffman and Brooke Eby of Sarasota Middle School for "Pearl Harbor."

Individual Exhibit:

• First Place: Olivia Gambert of Sarasota Middle School for "Aloha ‘Oe: American Expansionism Results in a Stolen Kingdom."
• Second Place: Andrew Fenton of Sarasota Middle School for "Luther’s 95-Theses and The Protestant Reformation."

Group Exhibit:

• First Place: Ella Berzins and Ella Ramos of Sarasota Middle School for "The Fall of the Berlin Wall."
• Second Place: Maya Tow and Adrita Mukherjee of Sarasota Middle School for "The Fall of the Berlin Wall."

Individual Documentary:

• First Place: Christian Cooper of Sarasota Christian School for "The Miracle that Turned the Tide of the Cold War."
• Second Place: Autumn Boehm, of Sarasota Christian School, for "The Innovation and Integration of the Solid-Body Electric Guitar."

Group Documentary:

• First Place: Peyton Gray and Wyatt Campbell of Sarasota Christian School for "Speech is Power: The Media's Impact on Public Opinion."

Historical Paper:

• First Place: Noah Spenn of Sarasota Christian School for "The Morning America Saw More Than One Sun Rise: How the Bombing of Pearl Harbor was a Turning Point in History."
• Second Place: Stephen Godwin ofSarasota Christian School for "The Creation of Insulin."

Individual Website:

• First Place: Evie Irwin of Sarasota Christian School for "The Nixon Shock: How Freezing the Economy Changed the United States."
• Second Place: Hayden Rogers, of Sarasota Christian School, for "The Selma Marches: A Turning Point in the Civil Rights Movement."

Individual Exhibit:

• First Place: Grace Chren of Out-of-Door Academy for "Byzantine Church Architecture and Its Impact on Modern Architecture and Christian Society."
• Second Place: Genesis Nopal-Puente of Booker High School for "The Pastry War."

Group Exhibit:

• First Place: A'Maney Woods, Addison Cupo, Jaida Chisholm, Ky'Mani Reed, and Satianna Suarnawa of Booker High School for "Reign of Terror."
• Second Place: Danna De Los Saantos, Kayla Wlicox, Selina Siguenza, Stephanie Carino, and Diana Geronimo-Arredonndo, of Booker High School for "Admiral Zheng He 1st, 4th, 5th Voyages."