Students win scholarships at Hands on History competition

Papers about skiing in the Olympic Mountains, Port Angeles artist Minerva Troy, and the Spruce Division Railroad won scholarships during the second annual Hands on History presentations, Sunday, April 7.

The event was sponsored by North Olympic History Center. About a 100 people packed Lincoln Center and saw seven Clallam County history topics presented and judged.

Winners were: Alden Gale, ninth grade, who won in the senior division for his paper on the Spruce Division and Railroad, earning him a $1,500 scholarship. Peter Zelenka, Port Angeles, seventh grade, wrote about skiing the Olympics. He shared first prize in the junior division and won a $500 scholarship. Celbie Karjalainen, sixth grade, wrote about Minerva Troy and also earned a $500 scholarship;

Other entries were: Eva Jolly, eighth grade, who presented G. M. Lauridsen’s impact on the local economy during the 1893 Depression; Hannah Anderson, eighth grade, who wrote about the Port Angeles Opera House; Talia Anderson, Abby Sanders and Mazie Tucker, tenth grade, who presented the spotted owl controversy; and Ethan Jolly, sixth grade, who presented the Sequim Railroad Bridge and park.

“These kids put their hearts into their projects,” said Patrick Noonan, the history center’s education chairman. “It was apparent that they cared more about their topics and teaching history to our citizens than they did about the scholarships. The kids were the teachers today and we all learned some of the history we missed along the way.”

The students gave 12-minute presentations to rotating groups and answered questions about their topics. The 2020 competition is open to all Clallam County students, sixth grade and above.

“If students don’t have a topic, we have about 50 ideas,” said Noonan. “Once topics are chosen, mentors and tutoring will be available and our research library will be open to them.”

The deadline for the 2020 competition is Oct. 19 of this year. For information and entry forms, contact Noonan at papanoon@gmail.com or at the Clallam County Fair.