Four Brown County Students have been chosen to advance to the National History Day Competition in Washington D.C. from Sunday to Thursday. The competition is scheduled to have 2,977 students from all States and U.S. Territories. Students can choose to present their projects in a documentary, website, performance, paper or project board. They can also choose to present individually or in a group. Four of the students advancing from Brown County are in sixth grade. Aesop Birkemeier is in the Junior Individual Performance category with his play titled “Turning Points in World War II: The Legacy of the 10th Mountain Division.”

Hailey Phillips and Kristin Evans are also advancing in a Junior category with their Group Documentary titled, “Madame CJ Walker: A Turning Point in History”. The Junior Division is for students from 6th to 8th grade with 9th grade through 12th grade presenting in the Senior Division. Genevieve Laguna is the only Brown County student in the Senior division with her individual documentary titled,”The Adam Bomb: A Turning Point in the American Psyche.”

The students were required to research their projects, create annotated bibliographies, write a process paper with information on how the projects related to the theme and assemble their projects. According to Carol Birkemeier Aesop Birkemeier’s grandmother, “In the past kids paid their own way,” Birkemeier said. “Mrs. Luwellen has received a grant to help support transportation and lodging for the students. They can either stay in dorms or hotel rooms. They will have to pay for their own food and other expenses. The parents will also have to pay their own way.”

Anyone that would like to donate to support the students as they travel to Washington D.C. can write a check to Brown County High School with National History Day in the memo line.

The Brown County Democrat could not contact Emily Lewellen for comment.