Students ace history day

Six students from Black Butte School will represent Oregon at National History Day competition held in College Park, Maryland, in June.

CJ Adams, Alan Dale, Laura Lake, Kelly Lake, Paul Head and Bill Young earned first place in different categories at the state competition held at Willamette University, April 18.

Following the theme of Migrations in History, five of the student focused their attention on the little known Great Palatine Migration of 1709-1710.

A team of four, Dale, Lake, Lake, and Adams created a 10-minute dramatic presentation titled, "From the Rhine Valley to America," depicting the causes and events of the emigration of tens of thousands people from what is now southwestern Germany, known then as the Palatinate, to the New York and Pennsylvania Dutch county via Amsterdam and London.

Another student, Bill Young, built a museum exhibit showing the Palatines' path of migration and the factors which contributed to the migration.

Those factors included Louis XIV's invasions, the agricultural disaster of 1708-09, and religious persecution.

"Since January, all of us have spent many long afternoons and evenings working on our projects at school, so I am really glad my project was judged good enough for nationals" said Young.

Also adhering to the theme, Paul Head created a 10-minute video showcasing specific migrations within the Holocaust.

Head, who recently traveled with Black Butte School students to the Washington D.C. area on a two-week field trip, spent two of those days with educational specialists at the Holocaust Museum.

Wile there, he researched his topic and had access to valuable primary sources.

Adams, Dale, and Head will be making their second trip to Nationals.

"I look forward to all of the extras that go on at Maryland competition, like the dance where we get to meet kids from all over the United States, and possibly a side trip to New York on one of our off days," Dale said.

While students await their June 13 departure, a hectic fund-raising schedule is planned as students and their parents look for ways to cover travel expenses for their trip to Washington, D.C.