TORRINGTON – At the beginning of the school year, Torrington Middle School (TMS) eighth graders Kaila Husted and HeLena McGaugh struggled to decide on a project for the National History Day Contest. As of last week, the girls have a state title under their belts and are preparing for national competition in June.
The National History Day Contest encourages students to research and present on a topic of their choice. Civics teacher Stephen Hart implemented the program at TMS three years ago. “During flex period … we have offered history students the opportunity to work on History Day projects,” Hart said at a special assembly Wednesday morning to honor the girls. “Last week, we took 12 students to Wyoming State History Day competition in Laramie … we are the most competitive we’ve ever been.” The theme of this year’s projects is “Taking A Stand.” Husted and McGaugh competed in group website and chose Mary Beth Tinker and her actions as a fellow eighth grader – albeit in 1965 – as their focus. “We found the topic of Mary Beth Tinker through our research in students’ rights,” the girls explained on their website. “We became interested in this topic because we wanted to know how we, as students, got our rights.”
