Pleasant Valley Middle School students Nathan Runkle and Stephanie Massart give a performance on their History Day project about Celilo Falls at the State Archives. (Photo courtesy of Benjamin Helle.) 

One wonders if Ken Burns started out this way.

The Washington State Historical Society coordinates Washington History Day, which features an annual contest for students in grades 6-12 throughout the state. The State Archives, State Library and Legacy Project (all part of the Office of the Secretary of State) support History Day by having staff volunteer to serve as contest judges.

The contest encourages students to become historians by developing research, analysis, presentation and social skills. Working individually or in groups, students select a topic related to an annual theme. They conduct extensive historical research using primary sources, articles, and books, then distill their research and analysis into a dramatic performance, multimedia documentary, museum exhibit, website, or research paper.

Nine students from Gig Harbor, Spanaway and Vancouver who were high placers in this year’s contest came to Olympia this week to receive awards from State Archivist Steve Excell at the State Archives Building on the Capitol Campus. The students presented their history projects and then toured the Archives facility with their teachers and families.

The Senior Division (grades 9-12) winners for the State Archivist Award were Bethel (Spanaway) High School’s Julie Martell and Leah Peterson, who presented “The ERA: Turning Point in Women’s Rights.” Their teacher is Jim Sawatzki. The Junior Division (grades 6-8) winners were four students from Vancouver’s Pleasant Valley Middle School, Hannah Foster, Stephanie Massart, Nathan Runkle and Avalon Tarbet-Mendoza.  Their presentation was entitled “Silencing Celilo Falls: Symbol of a Century of Loss; Turning Point for Native American Tribes.” Their teacher is Rene Soohoo.

The State Archives Regional and Local Research Award for the Senior Division was presented to Bethel High’s Taylor Mamaril and Britt McCracken for their project “The Boldt Decision: Turning Point in Treaty Rights.” Sawatzki is their teacher. The Junior Division award went to Marcus Whitman Junior High School’s Naia Kennedy, whose project was entitled “Japanese Internment Camps: Let it Not Happen Again.” Marcus Whitman is in Gig Harbor. Kennedy’s teacher is Tom O’Loughlin.

The State Archives sponsors both awards to the winning projects that used original records from the State Archives or one of its Regional branches.

Judging for the state contest level took place May 4 at Bellevue College. Students who reached the state level had competed in History Day regional competitions in February or March.

Students who finish in first and second place at the state level in each category go on to the national contest, held in mid-June at the University of Maryland in College Park.