Special Prize Winners at Region 3 Ohio History Day - MARCH 27, 2021

Each year, generous community groups and organizations from around Northeast Ohio donate Special Prizes to recognize competitors in Region 3 Ohio History Day. Each prize has its own set of requirements for eligible projects. Entries have been judged and winners selected by representatives from the contributing community group or organization. Below, find a list of 2021’s Special Prizes and their winners.

TOPIC-BASED PRIZES

Baseball History Prize Sponsor: Baseball Heritage Museum Eligible Project Types: Papers, Websites, Documentaries, Exhibits, Performances Prize Amount: There will be a cash prize for each student involved in the winning entry, and students will receive recognition from the Baseball Heritage Museum. Other requirements: Entries must focus on topics related to the history of baseball.

2021 Winner: “Dummy” Hoy’s Grand Slam: how a deaf center fielder changed communication in team sports Alex Sideris School: Birchwood School of Hawken Teacher(s): Connie Miller and Joe Parrino

Early Settlers Association Awards Sponsor: Early Settlers Association of The Western Reserve Eligible Project Types: Papers, Websites, Documentaries, Exhibits, Performances Prize Amount: Cash prizes—amounts vary. Other requirements: Entries must focus on historical events, people, or achievements from the geographical area that was originally part of the Connecticut’s Western Reserve in Ohio.

2021 Winners:

Papers

The Message Sent Worldwide in the 1936 Olympics by Jesse Owens Jacob Palfi School: Western Reserve Academy Teacher(s): Sarah Horgan

Websites

The Cuyahoga River Fire of 1969: The Key to Understanding How an Environmental Disaster Led to a Cleaner Planet Zechary Cao School: Birchwood School of Hawken Teacher(s): Connie Miller and Joe Parrino

Hudson’s Role in Anti-Slavery and the Underground Railroad Hannah Ma School: Western Reserve Academy Teacher(s): Sarah Horgan

Performances

How the Courtroom Became a Crime Scene: The Unjust Communication in the Sam Sheppard Trials Audrey Ronayne, Katherine Leonardi, and Fiona Boyd School: Birchwood School of Hawken Teacher(s): Connie Miller and Joe Parrino

Documentaries

The Cleveland Free-Net: How a Case Western Reserve University Experiment Opened Up a New World of Communication Angela D’Souza School: Birchwood School of Hawken Teacher(s): Connie Miller and Joe Parrino

Improving Communication Through Mail: Joseph William Briggs and Free Mail Delivery Siya Lakireddy and Aanya Lakireddy School: Birchwood School of Hawken Teacher(s): Connie Miller and Joe Parrino

From Garfield to Biden: Revolutionizing Communication on a Front Porch Josh Brown, Samuel Friguglietti, and George Mcguinness School: Shaker Heights High School Teacher(s): Sarah Davis

Exhibits

Dorothy Fuldheim – The First Women of Television News Sophia Szeremet School: St. Barnabas School Teacher(s): Judith Darus

Florence E. Allen: A Voice for All Women Elise Fletcher School: St. Barnabas School Teacher(s): Judith Darus

Dorothy Fuldheim: First Lady of TV News Katelyn Taraba and Leah Sobolewski School: St. Barnabas School Teacher(s): Judith Darus

How the Oberlinites of the Underground Railroad Secretly Brought Slaves to Safety Isabela Csora and Catie Kerr School: Lutheran West Teacher(s): Dave Ressler

Friends of the Maltz Museum Special Prize in Jewish History Sponsor: Friends of the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage Eligible Project Types: Papers, Exhibits, Performances, and Documentaries Prize Amount: Cash prize and recognition from the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. Other requirements: Entries must focus on Jewish themes including Jewish culture, history, art, individuals, identity, or holidays. Projects addressing the Holocaust are also eligible.

2021 Winners:

First Place Soviet Posters and Jewish Identity Ari Feinberg School: Shaker Heights Middle School Teacher(s): David Saluga

Second Place Yiddish Means Mishpocheh: The Role of the Yiddish Language in the Survival of the Jewish Culture Jimena Oliva School: Western Reserve Academy Teacher(s): Sarah Horgan 3

Third Place How the Diary of Anne Frank Changed the World Madeleine Suma School: Menlo Park Academy Teacher(s): Frank O’Grady

International Women’s Air and Space Museum Award Sponsor: International Women’s Air and Space Museum Eligible Project Types: Papers, Websites, Documentaries, Exhibits, and Performances Prize Amount: One-year museum membership, a behind-the-scenes tour including viewing Amelia Earhart’s personal artifacts, a collectible deck of women in space cards, and a book. Other Requirements: Entries must present women’s history topics that address aviation, space, or STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields.

2021 Winner: Hedy Lamarr and the Beginnings of Bluetooth: Recognizing How a Hollywood Star Permanently Influenced Communication Emily Daley School: Shaker Heights High School Teacher(s): Sarah Davis

Rock & Roll History Prize Sponsor: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Eligible Project Types: Papers, Websites, Documentaries, Exhibits, and Performances Prize Amount: Valued at $100. Other Requirements: Topics must be relevant to rock and roll and/or popular music history

2021 Winner: Communication in Song: How Lady Day Paved the Way Laila Christian School: Shaker Heights High School Teacher: Sarah Davis

Sons of the American Revolution Patriotism Award Sponsor: Western Reserve Society, Sons of the American Revolution Eligible Project Types: Papers, Exhibits, Websites, Performances, Documentaries Prize Amount: Cash prize(s).

Other Requirements: Winning project will exemplify our mission to promote Americanism, patriotism, citizenship, and Revolutionary War history.

2021 Winner: Communicating through Clothes Lines and Closets Woman spies in the Revolutionary War Ella DeBenedictis and Madeline Frank School: St. Barnabas School Teacher(s): Judith Darus

2021 Honorable Mention: Sybil Ludington (Revolutionary Heroine) Faith Armstrong School: Menlo Park Academy Teacher(s): Frank O’Grady

GEOGRAPHY-BASED PRIZES

Oberlin Heritage Center Hubbard Prize Sponsor: Oberlin Heritage Center Eligible Project Types: Papers, Websites, and Documentaries Prize Amount: Cash prize. Other Requirements: Students must be from Lorain County. Individual and group entries from both Junior and Senior Divisions will be considered.

2021 Winner: “That is Absolutely Ridiculous!”: Fred Rogers Speaking Against Racism Sofia Barlow School: Christian Community School Teacher(s): Michael Hoehn

Shaker Library Research Prize, underwritten by Friends of the Shaker Library Sponsor: Shaker Heights Public Library and Friends of the Shaker Library Eligible Project Types: Papers, Websites, Documentaries, Exhibits, and Performances Prize Amount: A cash prize, a certificate, and a medal. Other Requirements: Students must be from Shaker Heights Middle School and must compete on March 7, 2020 at the Region 3 competition.

2021 Winner: John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry: A Spark in the Debate on Slavery Bahji Jenkins and Madeleine Silvers School: Shaker Heights Middle School Teacher(s): David Saluga

A note from the Shaker Library Prize judges: “In the end we chose this as the winning project because the students used a wide variety of resources including print, digital, audio, university archives, Library of Congress, other federal sites, and subscription database materials. We felt that they integrated the sources well into the narrative of the project. They cast a broad net in their research and then were able to narrow and refine their topic because of the wealth of relevant resources they found.”