On February 15, 2025, 18 SMOS Middle School students participated in the National History Day regional competition at UMSL. Focusing on this year’s theme of Rights and Responsibilities, the students completed an incredible amount of research and analysis over a wide range of topics. All of the students presented amazing projects, and SMOS even claimed 4 of the 6 runoff spots in the individual exhibit category!
Overall, FIVE projects from St. Margaret’s placed in the top 3 for their category and are advancing to the National History Day state competition at Mizzou in April! Good luck to those 9 students who are already getting back to work, and congratulations to all of the students who participated!
Group Website:
- Ace Albright, Ben Kelsey, and Ella Miller-Ruddy – Making Waves for Equal Rights: The Fairgrounds Park Pool Riots (1st Place – advancing to state)
- Zachary Burgess and Christian Redd – The Alphabet as Abolitionist: John Berry Meachum and the Resistance to Anti-Literacy Laws (3rd Place – advancing to state)
Individual Website:
- Will Kelsey – The Organic Act of 1916: The Rights it Provided and the Responsibilities it Presents
Group Exhibit:
- Parker Burgess and Matteo Galleto – The Freedom to Learn: How the Little Rock Nine Forever Changed Education (2nd Place – advancing to state)
- Athena Page and Mariana Reyes – Attica Prison Riot
Individual Exhibit:
- Emma Galleto – La Causa: A Farmworkers’ Struggle for their Rights (1st Place – advancing to state)
- Evelyn Schoemehl – The St. Louis Five (2nd Place – advancing to state)
- Penelope Gray – Women in Medicine (4th Place – regional runoff finalist)
- Sophia Whealon – Fair Labor Standards Act (5th Place – regional runoff finalist)
- Jonathan Dayton – The Battle of St. Louis
- Devin Fritz – What Defines a Person? Are Animals Beings with Rights or Inanimate Objects?
- Elliot Mork – A History of Freedom of Speech for Minors
- Ryan Ohs – The Copyright Act and Protecting Creativity in America