Benton Middle School seventh-grader, Alyssa Kiffer, received an Outstanding Entry Award at the National History Day competition, and she was also a top 10 finalist in the Individual Documentary Category. The theme for this year’s National History Day competition was “Triumph and Tragedy in History.” Earning a first-place win at the Virginia State National History Day competition, Kiffer advanced to the national competition that concluded on June 13.
Kiffer’s Individual Documentary entry, “The Little Rock Nine and the Crisis at Central High: The Triumph of Desegregation, The Tragedy of Increased Racial Hate and Violence” impressed the judges at both the regional and state contests. With help from history teacher Anne Walker, Kiffer prepared for the competition by working diligently throughout the school year on topics related to desegregation.
When asked about Kiffer and her project, Walker stated, “I am very proud of the hard work Alyssa put into her documentary on the Little Rock Nine. She was very enthusiastic about her topic and it showed!”
(Alyssa meeting filmmaker and activist Judy Richardson. Ms. Richardson was the speaker for the National History Day Opening Ceremony. Snippets of her well-known Civil Rights documentary Eyes on the Prize were included in Alyssa’s documentary.)
