Indiana Historical Society

On February 24, 34 students competed for the Indiana Historical Society and are advancing to the State competition in April. Among these students is junior Ava Kirchoff, who presented a historical research project over the history of organ transplantation.

"The theme was Turning Points in American History," explained Kirchoff, noting that all students in Christina Wilburn's DCUSH class had to do the project, but competing was voluntary. "My group [Lilly Snider and Mia Propes] did an exhibit on the first kidney transplant and how it kind of opened a new field of medicine."

Students had the opportunity to create a plethora of projects, including documentaries, websites and plays. For students that chose to compete, a processing paper was required alongside the project, which would be presented in front of a panel of judges. For Kirchoff, her group won first in the region's group exhibits.

Photo Courtesy of Ava Kirchoff

The groups that will be advancing to State have until the end of April to edit and perfect their processing papers and projects. "You can change up your project to make improvements based on the judge's comments," added Kirchoff.

For students who are interested in participating in the competition, Kirchoff explained that there are numerous benefits to competing. "I would definitely recommend this because it's another thing to put on college applications, and it was an easy project," she said. "It's fun and it's a good experience."

Story by Lily Saylor