St Johns County schools hold History Fair

Director of Community Relations, Christina Langston, reported to Historic City News that Ava Hampton of Fruit Cove Middle School won top honors in the inaugural St Johns County School District’s History Fair; produced in conjunction with the National History Fair sponsored by National History Day.

Hampton’s project, entitled “Seneca Falls Conference”, was awarded “Most Outstanding Project Overall” and she was presented with a check for $100 from the St Augustine Historical Society.

“The project-based learning that is emphasized by the History Fair provides an excellent opportunity for students to showcase college and career readiness skills including research, writing, speaking and creative thinking while embracing history,” St Johns County School Superintendent Dr. Joseph Joyner told reporters.

Hampton will be recognized at the School Board Meeting on Wednesday, April 10.

Over 200 students at Fruit Cove Middle School, Landrum Middle School, Switzerland Point Middle School, Bartram Trail High School and Creekside High School, participated at the school level. Seventy-five participants presented forty-five history projects for judging in the local History Fair.

The inaugural History Fair projects were on display at Bartram Trail High School which also hosted the awards ceremony. The history fair was a culmination of the efforts of the school district and teacher sponsors including Teresa McCormick, Richard Billette, Dorothy Anagnostou, Jacob Teuscher, Richard Marabell and Joseph Herskovitz.

The judges for the fair represented organizations including The St Augustine Historical Society, The St Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, the University of Florida, the St Augustine Maritime Heritage Foundation, Fort Mose Historic State Park, Brockington and Associates, the St Augustine 450th Commemoration, Castillo de San Marcos, and the Colonial Dames of St Augustine.

Prize money was generously provided from the following supporters: St Augustine Maritime Heritage Foundation, Brockington and Associates, Publix Supermarket Charities, Chipotle Mexican Grill, RPM Automotive, the St Augustine 450th Commemoration, and the St Augustine Lighthouse and Museum.

Students representing the four participating schools were selected to compete in the State History Fair including: Ava Hampton, Christiana Lovell, Megan Radney, Sophia Sberna, Harrison Snowden, Matthew Gibson, Felipe Hanel, Megan Wolf, Amanda Rorabaugh, Easton Pillay, Cade Bedell, Danielle Haddock, Harrison Do, and Samuel Werner.

Local History Fair Director, Travis Brown, is coordinating the trip to Tallahassee scheduled for May 5-6.