BUCKHANNON — When temperatures dip below freezing, most people choose to huddle at home by the fire — but on Saturday, Upshur County families braved the frigid temperatures to bring their students to Buckhannon-Upshur High School to so they could show off their knowledge while participating in the Upshur County Social Studies Fair. Tristen Gray, principal of Tennerton Elementary School and organizer of the Upshur County Social Studies Fair, said this is the third year for the countywide event.
“We started in October and sent out information to the different schools,” Gray said. “This is the third year we’ve done it. If the kids want to participate, we send information from the regional director, which she receives from the state director, and the students begin working on their projects.
Students participating in the Upshur County Social Studies Fair choose their own topics and then do their research. Gray said each project includes an exhibition, an abstract (the written part) and an oral presentation.
“The students have been training since October until today, and seeing their projects is proof of their hard work,” Gray said. “First place winners from our Upshur County Social Studies Fair move on to the regional competition and then the state Social Studies Fair.”
Projects presented at Saturday’s event covered a wide variety of topics, from war history to the coal and coke railroad through West Virginia, and even projects on the Black Death, Farmington mining disaster and the history of the English language. The event included projects from elementary and middle school students.
Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School sixth graders Aubry Shay and Alaina Tenney completed a project on 9/11. Their project included models they made of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Aubry and Alaina said they chose this topic because they felt it was something they wanted to learn more about.
Judges Amanda Webb and Megan Gray noted that the fair allows students to explore topics that truly interest them.
“They are passionate about these topics and take their time to investigate and research the history of these events in our country,” the judges said. “Knowing what happened on 9/11 helps students learn more and hopefully understand how to prevent it from happening again.”
Aubry said that when putting together the 9/11 project, his favorite part was assembling 3D models of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Carter Haney, who attends Union Elementary School and is in fifth grade, completed a project on the evolution of football, a sport he has played for years. He said the most astonishing information he learned was about the antiquity of soccer and the fact that the Mayans used severed human heads as soccer balls.
Judge Wilson Harvey remarked that he would have thought the players should receive a “red card” for doing something like that.
Carter said he thought he did well on his project and hoped to move on to the regional competition – and from there, to states.
Harvey thanked the students at the fair for their work.
“I am impressed with the overall content knowledge and the time and effort the kids put into their projects,” Harvey said. “The beauty of students doing projects like this is that it allows them to see how similar and different things were a long time ago, and I think we see how that history impacts students as they move forward. ‘they learn more about it. I am proud of these students who have reached this milestone.
Another project presented Saturday at the Upshur County Social Studies Fair was completed by Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School sixth graders Kaitlin Davis, Isabella Bowers and Kaylee Fisher. The girls said they chose the topic to learn more about the Battle of Yorktown and said they were inspired by the movie “Hamilton.”
The trio learned about how the British surrendered by waving a white flag, and they said another interesting thing was learning about how America wanted to be free. It was one of the last battles of the American Revolution, and students said they had never been to Yorktown but hoped to one day.
First-place winners at the Upshur County Social Studies Fair held Saturday at Buckhannon-Upshur High School include Hodgesville Elementary School’s Marcus Reed, 10, fifth grade, whose project was Sacrifice and Honor; Sawyer Phillips of Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School, 11, sixth grade, whose project was the coal and coke railroad through West Virginia; Ava Trent and Alexis Huffman, sixth graders from Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School for their project Music Today and How it Affects Us; Leah Bryant, 11 years old and in sixth grade at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School for her project The Black Death; Emma Collett and Mackenzie Strickland, sixth graders aged 12 for their project The Great Depression; Lila Wright, 13, eighth grade at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School for her project titled Who Wants to Be Average? Joseph Nolte, 13, eighth grade at Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School for his project on the evolution of the English language; Aubry Shay and Alaina Tenney, sixth graders from Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School for their 9/11 project; Brock Woodson, Owen Chidester and Tanner Chidester, ages 11 and 12 and attending Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School for their WV Coal Mines project; Fifth graders Autumn Crisp and Isabella Casey, who are attending Union Elementary for their 100 Years Women’s Fashion project; and Gareth Shay of Union Elementary School, age 10 and in fifth grade, for the Tornado Alley project.
Although Upshur County Schools Superintendent Dr. Sara Lewis Stankus was unable to attend the event in person, she sent the following comments:
“The Upshur County Social Studies Fair is a great opportunity to showcase the efforts of our students. Students choose their topic and teachers, staff and families support the student in exploring their topic. These students went “above and beyond” to research and prepare for this day,” Stankus said. “This fair is a perfect way for students to learn about current events and history, but equally important is the oral and visual presentation of their information.”
Stankus wrote that it takes a lot of time to prepare and memorize the information that students present to Social Studies Fair judges.
“Students who participate in the county fair can move on to the Regional Social Studies Fair and the West Virginia State Social Studies Fair – our students deserve these opportunities.” As a school system, we are committed to supporting their efforts.
Stankus gave a special thanks to Gray for organizing the county event.
“Thank you for hosting the Upshur County Social Studies Fair and thank you to all the teachers and principals who worked to make this day possible,” Stankus wrote.
Melinda Stewart, director of secondary curriculum in Upshur County Schools, said the social studies fair is important because it gives students a hands-on experience with learning.
“It’s project-based learning that gives kids the opportunity to explore a topic that interests them,” Stewart said. “It captures where we are today and how our past has shaped our future, and it gives our children the opportunity to showcase their skills. We are very proud of each of these students.
Dr. Tammy Samples, president of the Upshur County School Board, said she was excited to see the number of students involved in the fair.
“It’s hard to get up in front of people and talk,” Samples said. “It says a lot about these students when they are willing to take the opportunity to do this.” They develop skills for the future and work on their ability to communicate. We are losing some of these skills in our technological world.
Dr. Debra Harrison, Upshur County Assistant Superintendent of Schools, congratulated all in attendance.
“I walked around and looked at these projects, and we were having side discussions about the projects,” Harrison said. “We said we didn’t think we could create such well-developed and well-thought-out projects. The presentations were amazing and I agree that the quality of the projects and the work you put into the projects was amazing. I want to thank your teachers and families for supporting you, because without their support you would not have had the motivation to be able to do this.
Upshur County Social Studies Fair judges included Zack Davis, Lisa Bennett, Jeremiah McCourt, Wilson Harvey, Stephanie Johnson, Marisa Meadows, Dr. Greenbrier Almond, Judith Davis, Amanda Hepler, Dan Hepler, Amanda Webb, Megan Gray, Abby Poling and Jill Stemple.
The Upshur County Social Studies Fair Qualifiers will advance to the Regional Social Studies Fair at Glenville State College on March 24, 2022. The West Virginia Social Studies Fair Bill will be held in Charleston.
