History Day Makes Silver Valley Girl Proud

Well, my buttons are continuing to burst this weekend as Z2 and Kiki Aru both participated in the regional History Day competition today at Kellogg Middle School, and both got Superior ratings, and they will be attending the state competition in April at Alberton's College.

The theme of this year's competition is From Triump to Tragedy. Both took on local history topics as the subject for the projects.

Z2, our seventh grader, particpated in the junior group performance division. Her and two of her friends wrote a play on the Sunshine Mine Disaster that happened on May 2, 1972. The play showed what happened that day, which was the tragedy, and the triumph was how this disaster helped change mine safety regulations in the country.

Kiki Aru, our fifth grader, participated in the group documentary category. Her and her partner developed "From Triumph to Tragedy: The Reforestation of the Silver Valley". They based their project on an interview they had with Ed Pommerening, a forester who was hired by the Bunker Hill Company in 1972 to develop a program to plant trees on the hillsides around Kellogg. Through this process, he developed an underground greenhouse in the Bunker Hill Mine that grew millions of seedlings that were planted on the hillsides around Kellogg. And as you look at the hillsides, as compared to 20 years ago, the transformation is amazing.

I am so proud of my girls, and all their hard work and research they did on their projects, and the things I learned about my valley through their projects.