National Contest
2024 Medalists
1st Place in Senior Group Website
Students: Ava Kirk and Elexa O’Neill
Teacher and School: Suzan Turner, Nashua-Plainfield Junior/Senior High School
Title: Point, Click, Shoot: Lewis Hine's Photographs Create a Turning Point for Child Labor
3rd Place in Junior Group Performance
Students: Emma Harris, Maya Mullinix, Kode Nielsen, Kevin Schoenfelder and Allyana Walrod
Teacher and School: Val Philips, Akron Westfield Middle School
Title: The First Women Marines: A Turning Point in Women’s History
3rd Place in Senior Individual Website
Student: Caleb Sinnwell
Teacher and School: Suzan Turner, Nashua-Plainfield Junior/Senior High School
Title: A Devastating Decade of Dying Dreams: How the 1980s Farm Crisis Changed Rural America
2024 Finalists
Junior Individual Performance (4th Place)
Students: Luna Krauss
Teacher and School: Deb Temperly, Bettendorf Middle School
Title: Barbie’s Legacy: A Catalyst for Cultural Change
Junior Group Website (5th Place)
Students: Emilie O’Neill and Mia Schmitt
Teacher and School: Suzan Turner, Nashua-Plainfield Junior/Senior High School
Title: The Radium Girls Fight Back and Shine: A Turning Point for Workplace Safety
Junior Group Exhibit (6th Place)
Students: Harper Moran, Evangeline Neighbor and Bailey Taylor
Teacher and School: Emily Pendleton, Bettendorf Middle School
Title: Deadly Dose: The Tylenol Poisoning Crisis
Senior Group Exhibit (9th Place)
Students: Adam Andrews, Benjamin Daffer, Josh Kensinger and Ben Tooley
Teacher and School: Nan Kiel, Bishop Heelan Catholic High School
Title: Polio Vaccine: A Turning Point in Modern Medicine
2024 Special Award Winners
Irish or Irish-American History Award
Senior Paper
Student: Dutch Smith
Teacher and School: Brianne McDermott, Abraham Lincoln High School (Council Bluffs)
Title: From Oppression to Revolution: The Easter Rising as a Turning Point in Irish Politics
Women’s History Award
Senior Individual Exhibit
Student: Anessa Morrison
Teacher and School: Susan Fritzell, Marshalltown High School
Title: Running Towards Gender Equality
2024 Outstanding Entries
Junior Individual Performance
Student: Luna Krauss
Teacher and School: Deb Temperly, Bettendorf Middle School
Title: Barbie’s Legacy: A Catalyst for Cultural Change
Senior Group Exhibit
Students: Adam Andrews, Benjamin Daffer, Josh Kensinger and Ben Tooley
Teacher and School: Nan Kiel, Bishop Heelan Catholic High School (Sioux City)
Title: Polio Vaccine: A Turning Point in Modern Medicine
2024 Project Showcase Selections
Smithsonian National Museum of American History Exhibit Showcase
Junior Group Exhibit
Students: Shelby Groon, Kenley Moffatt and Kenna Willms
Teacher and School: Val Philips, Akron Westfield Middle School
Title: Sesame Street: A Turning Point Towards Sunny Days in Educational Television
2024 Honorable Mentions
Honorable mentions are awarded to entries that ranked in the second place in the first round of judging.
Junior Group Documentary
Students: Elijah Oetken and Elizabeth Philips
Teacher and School: Val Philips, Akron-Westfield Middle/High School
Title: The Night Witches: A Turning Point in Women’s Military History
Junior Group Documentary
Students: Molly Kuehner and Rachel Weis
Teacher and School: Patty Lien, St. Benedict Catholic School (Decorah)
Title: The First Earth Day: A Turning Point in the Environmental Movement
Junior Group Exhibit
Students: Shelby Groon, Kenley Moffatt and Kenna Willms
Teacher and School: Val Philips, Akron Westfield Middle School
Title: Sesame Street: A Turning Point Towards Sunny Days in Educational Television
Junior Group Performance
Students: Hayden Christoffersen, Sophia Douglas and Sage Mersch
Teacher and School: Michele Wilson, Harding Middle School (Cedar Rapids)
Title: A Ray of Freedom: Governor Robert Ray’s Impact on the Tai Dam and Iowa Immigration
Junior Individual Exhibit
Student: Hadley James
Teacher and School: Deb Temperly, Bettendorf Middle School
Title: A Landmark in Cultural Conservation: How the 1906 Antiquities Act Preserved America’s Wonders
Junior Individual Website
Student: Jackson Mehmen
Teacher and School: Suzy Turner, Nashua-Plainfield Junior/Senior High School
Title: Hart-Parr Tractors: Turning the Soil and Cultivating Change in Agriculture Through Mechanization
Senior Individual Documentary
Student: Emily Newby
Teacher and School: Brianne McDermott, Abraham Lincoln High School (Council Bluffs)
Title: Norman Lear’s Socially Conscious Sitcom: A Turning Point in Network Television
Senior Individual Documentary
Student: Kaia Schleifman
Teacher and School: Brianne McDermott, Abraham Lincoln High School (Council Bluffs)
Title: Turning the Tides: James Meredith’s March to Confront Fear and Disparagement in the United States
Senior Individual Exhibit
Student: Anessa Morrison
Teacher and School: Susan Fritzell, Marshalltown High School
Title: Running Towards Gender Equality
Senior Individual Performance
Student: Katie Hubbs
Teacher and School: Jill Koch, John F. Kennedy High School (Cedar Rapids)
Title: Bletchley Park: Breaking the Unbreakable