Hood River New School Sweeps the Board at Oregon History Day and Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
By Cole Goodwin
Hood River, OR April 18, 2024 – Students from Hood River New School showcased their academic and creative prowess, earning top honors at the Oregon History Day competition and in the renowned Scholastic Art & Writing Awards last weekend.
After months of hard work perfecting their presentations, twenty New School students traveled to The Oregon History Day state competition at Willamette University in Salem, to compete with their peers from across the state.
Students presented well-researched documentaries, dramatic performances, exhibits, and student built websites on various historical topics in front of a panel of judges.
The competition was fierce, and ultimately eleven New School students saw their hard work rewarded with special recognition of their projects exceptional excellence.
New School took home 1st and 2nd in the documentary category.
Judah Tsypin, Jack Morich, and Beckett Eaton earned 1st place for their documentary on the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
Bjorn Swanson won 2nd place for a documentary on Chernobyl, a nuculear accident in 1986 that was the result of a flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel.
New School also took home 1st and 2nd in the dramatic performance category.
Eleanor Buser, Daisy Jones, Kiah Dienberg, and Sabrina Schanel won 1st place in Dramatic Performance for their educational performance on Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the United States vs. Virginia case in 1990 in which the United States sued Virginia on behalf of several women who wanted to attend the Virginia Military Institute (VMI)—a public, all-male university.
Lark Gilchrist and Sunny Desbrow for 2nd place in Dramatic Performance about Irena Sendler, a Polish humanitarian, social worker, and nurse, who served in the Polish Underground Resistance during World War II.
New School also took home 2nd in the Website category.
Noemi Bloom for 2nd place for her website on the Great Crash of 1929.
Claire Gilchrist.
“Those 5 projects, representing 11 New School students, are now invited to move on to the National History Day finals in Washington DC in June!” read a New School press release.
Claire Gilchrist, Head of School at New School, expressed pride and appreciation for the students' hard work and dedication, stressing the unexpected and unprecedented nature of the students' success.
"I recognized the strength of our students' research and projects, but we never anticipated such a remarkable outcome," she remarked. "I can tell you - they earned it. I have rarely seen a group of kids work so hard and so independently on something.”
In addition to the wins at Oregon History Day, five New School students have also received Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
As the nation's oldest and most esteemed scholarship and recognition program for young artists and writers, the Scholastic Awards have served as a springboard for some of America's most celebrated creative minds, including Stephen King, Amanda Gorman, and Andy Warhol.
Joining this cohort of Scholastic Awards alumni from New School are Daisy Jones, Liv Sommerset, Kiah Dienberg, Sage Hollatz, and Fiona Althoff, who all received recognition for their achievements in writing.
Daisy, Sage, Liv, and Kiah received Honorable Mentions, while Fiona secured a prestigious Silver Key in the regional competition spanning the western United States.
From all of us at CCCNews we just want to say congratulations to these talented students! Your dedication and creativity have earned you well-deserved recognition!
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