By Nicole Thomas
SSD students Cici Zhang, Cameron Maddox, Johnathan Franz, David Coblentz and Hank Yang were awarded top honors for their historical research projects in Mississippi’s National History Day competition held Saturday on the campus of The University of Southern Mississippi.
Starkville High School students Cici Zhang and Cameron Maddox were awarded first place in the senior division for their group website, “Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe: The Legacy of Stephen Hawking.”
Jonathan Franz, also a student at SHS, earned second place in the senior division for his historical paper, “Colvard, McCarthy and the 1963 Mississippi State Basketball Team: Game Changers in the Fight Against Segregation.” Jonathan was also recognized with the Archival Research Special Award and Local History Special Award for his project.
Armstrong Middle School students David Coblentz and Hank Yang won first place honors in the junior group for their documentary, “Ulysses S. Grant: A Legacy of Leadership for Today.”
All five students qualified for National History Day held June 14-18 at University of Maryland.