Students from South Woods Middle School in Syosset, mentored by teacher Greg Ryan, competed in the Long Island Regional History Day competition at Hofstra University on March 9. This event is the first stage of a competition that feeds into the state-level championships in Cooperstown and the National Championships at the University of Maryland.
Out of 27 entries in 10 categories, which included websites, documentaries, performances, exhibit boards and research papers, two sixth-graders succeeded in moving on to the state level competition in April.
Asher Gladstone won first place in the junior documentary category with his entry on Charlie Chaplin, “The Peace Monger.” Michael Gadinis won second place in the junior performance category with his entry, “Branch Rickey,” the baseball owner largely responsible for bringing Jackie Robinson into Major League Baseball and beginning the breakdown of racial segregation in American sports.
Additionally, Hope Neal, whose topic was on “Women’s Rights in Afghanistan,” just missed going to the states with her third-place finish in the junior performance category. — Syosset Schools
