All of the projects were created by National Social Studies Honor Society members as part of their requirement to be eligible for honor cords for graduation. These projects included primary source illustrations and historical narratives on display boards. The students gave polished presentations to visitors, including Liberty staff, parents, and students, explaining their research and answering questions.
“We were beyond impressed with the level of effort and quality of research our students put into their History Showcase projects,” social studies teacher Tara Bula said. “With any first year event, you are not sure what to expect, but this year’s event far surpassed our expectations. We couldn’t be prouder of our students.”
Mrs. Bula said the social studies department expects to make the project an annual event. She said more than 100 Liberty students came to view the projects, along with 27 family members of students, and 14 staff members.
Social studies teacher Alyson Moss said, “The goal of our history showcase was to allow students the opportunity to research and present their contributions to historiography,” which is the study of historical writing.
Topics for the projects included Spanish civil wars, the Salem witch trials, the American Civil War, Greek and Roman art, Renaissance art, the history of mental health reforms and discrimination against Japanese Americans during World War II.
“We wanted students to choose a topic that was interesting to them.” Ms. Moss said. “This could be something they learned from a previous class or even something that they saw on social media that they wanted to take a deeper dive into. It was really important for us that the students not only practiced focusing on a topic and the inquiry that comes along with historical research, but also that they enjoyed the investigation process and considered how it relates to the world today. This is why we emphasized student choice so much in the Showcase.”