Bakersfield.com

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           Eight students from Kern County schools won state honors at the History Day in California competition which concluded May 11 in Sacramento. The annual competition focused on the national theme “Conflict and Compromise in History” and brought together those students who had won History Day competitions in their own home counties to challenge for the title of state champion. Kern County students won in four separate categories and will represent the state at National History Day from June 15-19 at the University of Maryland.

            Two of the students, Sarah Moore and Dylan Gonzales have previous experience at the nationals, as they also were part of the team that represented Kern County last year. Moore, a student at Centennial High School, is the only Senior Division (high school) student to make it from the county. Her documentary, “The Conflict of Nazis in Skokie: A Question of Compromise,” was a winner at both the county and state level. Gonzales is part of a five member Group Performance team from Fruitvale Jr. High that includes Aaliyah Beed, Josh Gonzales, Brock Lynch and Alyssa Shannon. “Four Innocent Girls: Victims of Hate: Casualties of Ignorance; A Tragic Incident that Would Affect Civil Rights in the U.S. Forever” was their winning entry at the county and again at state.

            Rounding out those who will go on to compete in Maryland are two other Fruitvale Jr. High students who were winners at state. They are Anastasia Clegg with her Historical Paper, “Conflicts, Compromise and Independence: The 1947 Partitioning of India,” and Gabriela Forter’s Individual Performance entry, “A Negotiator for Change,” based on the struggles of the United Farm Workers’ Union leader Dolores Huerta.

            History Day in California is sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundation, and Kern County History Day was sponsored by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools and the law firm of Klein, DeNatale, Goldner, Cooper, Rosenlieb & Kimball, LLP.