St. Benedict's National History Day team is headed to State

(Front row, left to right): Jake Muhlbauer, Leah Weis, Emma Rooney, Allison Groux, Helen Weis, Katie Storlie and Erica Bouska. (Back row): Madison Sexton, Lizzie Hartman, Abigail Toussaint, Emily Franzen, Brynne Valkosky, Jenna Galligan, Kaitlyn Rooney, Claire Jensen. (Missing): David Jensen (Click on photo for larger image)

16 students from St. Benedict School in Decorah have qualified for the Iowa level of the National History Day competition.  The students with their ten projects will travel to Des Moines on May 5th.

Jake Muhlbauer wrote a historical paper titled, "Don Haskins: Improving the Rights of African Americans in Collegiate Sports."  Erica Bouska created an individual exhibit titled "Paying the Price."  Jenna Galligan created an individual documentary titled "Jane Addams' Hull House: Unlocking the Door to Human Rights."  Madison Sexton and Lizzie Hartman created a group documentary titled "Lewis Hine: Changing Children's Rights."  Kaitlyn Rooney created an individual performance titled "Engel v Vitale: The Right to Freedom of Religion in School."

Katie Storlie created an individual performance titled "Irena Sendler: Accepting the Responsibility to Make a Difference."  Brynne Valkosky created an individual website titled "CFSAN: Maintaining the Rights and Responsibilities of Consumer Safety."  Leah Weis, Emma Rooney, and Allison Groux qualified with their group performance titled "Honig vs. Doe: The Rights and Responsibilities of an Education for children with Disabilities."  Abigail Touissaint and Emily Franzen created a group website titled "Ensuring the Right of Education for Blacks: Brown vs. Board of Education."  Helen Weis, Claire Jensen and David Jensen created a group website titled "The Orphan Train". 

The students work on History Day projects with Patty Lien and Judy Franzen, with assistance from Joan Harrison.