Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area awards history scholarships
THE Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area (SdCNHA) presented $4,800 in scholarships to seven students who participated and competed in the Regional History Fair. Projects were based on the theme “Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas” that involve local history, culture, or traditions.
This year’s round of annual Regional History Day submissions demonstrated the broad array of historical topics rooted in history of the San Luis Valley. Two documentaries, one exhibit, one website, and three papers qualified for SdCNHA scholarships.
Laila Martinez, Leah Smith, Avery Hostetter, Durae Naranjo, Parker Mitchell, Jeana Dunn and Alaysha Silva received a SdCNHA scholarship for 2023.
- Laila Martinez created a documentary, “Mission Churches in Conejos County, Frontiers in History,” that shared significant information about each of the historic mission churches in Conejos County.
- Parker Mitchell created a documentary, “San Luis Valley: A Farming Frontier” about how people worked together to make farming successful in the San Luis Valley.
- Leah Smith wrote a paper titled “Frontiers of the San Luis Valley: The Valley and its Diversity.” In the paper she writes about how the many diverse cultures shaped the San Luis Valley and how the San Luis Valley allowed new opportunities for people who moved here.
- Alaysha Silva wrote a paper, “Frontier in Racism and How it Changed Daily Lives Forever,” about the impact of racism in the United States, and about how racism impacted areas like the San Luis Valley.
- Avery Hostetter wrote a paper, “The San Luis Valley: Land United by Frontiers,” about how the San Luis Valley was home to many frontiers throughout history.
- Jeana Dunn created a website, “Settlement of Manassa,” about Manassa’s different ethnicities and their histories.
- Durae Naranjo created a traditional exhibit, “Maestas V. Shone,” the story of the nation’s earliest victory in the war against Hispanic educational segregation that took place in Alamosa.
The Regional History Fair took place at Adams State University and was hosted by the Adams State University Department of History, Anthropology, Philosophy, Political Science, and Spanish (HAPPSS). The Regional History Fair is part one of the National History Day competitions that take place nationwide. Students participate in a project-based learning curriculum that emphasizes critical reading and thinking, research, analysis, and the drawing of meaningful conclusions. Students can complete these projects in groups or as individuals in one of five categories: documentary, paper, exhibit, performance, or website.
The Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area congratulates all students who participated in this year’s competition and is excited to see what heritage area youth come up with next year. For more information on National History Day, visit nhd.org. For more information on SdCNHA scholarships and field trip grants, visit sangreheritage.org.
