MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – School may be out, but a couple of Marquette middle schoolers are going to an academic competition later this summer. Michigan History Day is an academic competition similar to the science fair, but instead of volcanoes, students choose a topic from history to research and create a presentation to cover it. This year’s theme was “Frontiers in History”.
“That project can be a website a documentary, a traditional trifold board, a performance like my students did this year also they can do a research paper,” commented Social Studies Teacher Brenton Fitzpatrick.
“I like theatre and so I wanted to do a performance and I thought I wouldn’t do good in a solo performance so Rena got involved too,” said Middle Schooler Amber Tschirgi.
“This takes place in like the 1860s and one of them is a former slave owner and the other is an abolitionist,” said Bothwell Middle Schooler Rena Sager.
6th graders Amber Tschirgi and Rena Sager have become finalists in this year’s competition. Together, they gave a performance about the Underground Railroad and for judges at the school, district, and state levels before moving on to the national. Fitzpatrick commented sometimes students’ “stellar work” can be overlooked just because of the small town in an area like the UP, and that this is another opportunity to show the world what the UP has to offer.
“It’s incredible to be able to take UP students and showcase them on a national stage,” continued Fitzpatrick. “It’s great to be able to give students this opportunity and to really put the UP out there,” continued Fitzpatrick.
Amber and Rena will be heading to the University of Maryland, and the competition will be going on throughout the week. “Few people from every state are doing it and I’m one of those people,” continued Rena. “Just going to DC’s gonna be awesome I really just can’t think about the actual competition because once I do it makes me really nervous,” commented Amber.
The winners will be announced at the end of the competition next Thursday.
Click here for more information on Michigan History Day.
