KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — 12 Knox County students are on their way to Maryland to represent Tennessee at the National History Day competition.

To make it to the national competition, students first had to place in the regional competition and then place first or second in the state-wide contest. In Tennessee, 217 students competed in the state contest. Of those, 62 advanced to the National History Day competition, 92 students earned medals and 16 students received special prizes.

Each student had to create a project using the theme 2022-2023 Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas. At each level, they received feedback and have the chance to improve their project based on the judges’ feedback.

“Congratulations to all the talented students who participated in this year’s Tennessee History Day competition,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “Good luck to the students advancing to compete in National History Day. I know you will proudly represent our great state.”

“We were so impressed by the research, enthusiasm and creativity displayed by the students at Tennessee History Day this year,” said Tennessee History Day coordinator Nikki Ward. “It is a testament to their educators, as well as the tenacity of this group of scholars. We are so proud of our Tennessee students.”

The National History Day competition will take place from June 11-15 at the University of Maryland campus in College Park, Maryland. The top finishers in each category will earn prestigious awards and scholarships.

The following Knox County students will be competing in the national competition:

Junior=Middle School and Senior=High School

1st Place in Senior Individual Documentary
“Indian Magna Carta”: The Proclamation of 1763 and the Indigenous People’s Rights Frontier
By: Jelena Armsworth
From: L&N STEM Academy, Knoxville
Educator: Karen Stanish

Jelena Armsworth earned 1st Place in Senior Individual Documentary

1st Place in the Junior Individual Website
Ada Lovelace: Providing The Frontier For Computer Programming
By: Doaa Soliman
From: Farragut Middle School, Knoxville
Educator: Krystal Darrow

Doaa Soliman earned 1st Place in the Junior Individual Website

1st Place in the Senior Group Website
Patsy Mink: The Pioneer Who Rewrote the Rules
By: Annie Hodge, Izabella Maestroiani
From: West High School, Knox County
Educator: Lindsey Parks

Annie Hodge and Izabella Maestroiani earned 1st Place in the Senior Group Website.

2nd Place in the Senior Group Exhibit
ARPANET: How The ARPANET Expanded The Frontiers Of Communication
By: Dat Nguyen, Manu Thomas
From: L&N STEM Academy, Knoxville
Educator: Derek Griffin

Dat Nguyen and Manu Thomas earned 2nd Place in the Senior Group Exhibit.

2nd Place in the Senior Group Website
Einstein’s Year Of Miracles
By: Briana Duke, Kaiya Sikora, Natalia Grzywacz-Jones
From: L&N STEM Academy, Knoxville
Educator: Karen Stanish

2nd Place in the Senior Individual Performance
Glow Girls: Women Who Lit the Path To Workplace Safety and Rights
By: Keya Patel
From: West High School, Knoxville
Educator: Lindsey Parks

2nd Place in the Senior Group Documentary and the Mitchell Mielnik Memorial Prize for the Best Project in Sports, Recreation, or the Environment, Senior Division
The Race to the South Pole: Earth’s Final Frontier
By: Matthew Wang, Timothy Cho
From: Farragut High School, Knoxville
Educator: Chris McNeer

Matthew Wang and Timothy Cho earned 2nd Place in the Senior Group Documentary and the Mitchell Mielnik Memorial Prize for the Best Project in Sports, Recreation, or the Environment, Senior Division.

For more information about Tennessee History Day, visit tennesseehistory.org/tennessee-history-day. To view a full list of this year’s Tennessee History Day winners, click here.