By Eason Franklin
The Lowndes Signal

Students from Lowndes County will be leaving in June to compete in the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland.

With the help of local businesses, churches, the county commission, towns and individual citizens, the Lowndes County Gifted Student Program raised enough money to send Dhestinee Ray of Hayneville Middle and

LaMarkris Sellers of Lowndes Middle to the University of Maryland at College Park from June 13-17  for the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day finals.

The two students placed in the top two of the Junior Division with their project about the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO) in the Alabama History Day competition at Auburn University in Montgomery (AUM).

Themed “Innovations in History: Impact and Change”, this year’s competition was a way for the children to learn about different issues, events, people and ideas in American history.

The cost for each student to travel to the competition was estimated around $800, not including food, according to Gifted Education teacher Paula Westmoreland.

“These students have earned the right to compete,” said Westmoreland. “Everyone who helped raise the money to send them deserves a big thank you.”

Ray and Sellers will compete with other finalists from across the United States, American Samoa, Guam, international schools and Department of Defense schools in Europe.

Gold medalists in the final competition will receive $1,000 cash, or The History Channel Award of $5,000 if they win the senior division individual and group documentary categories, silver goes home with $500 cash and the bronze winner is awarded $250 cash.

One Outstanding State Entry from each state entered in the junior and senior divisions will be acknowledged at National History Day.

List of Contributors:
Hayneville Drug Co.
Ms. Felder (at Hayneville Library)
Mr. Sammy Bailey (B& J Auto)
Ms. Cossundria Brock (at Bell Funeral Home)
Bell Funeral Home
Ms. Audrey Moorer (at Tax Collector’s Office)
Ms. Roslyn Smith (Tax Collector)
Town of Mosses and Mayor Walter Hill
Lowndes County Political Action Committee with Judge John Hulett
Mt. Carmel Baptist Church
Lowndes Garbage Service (Mr. and Mrs. Kelvin Lawrence)
Commissioner Dickson Farrior
Ms. Yvette Patterson
Central Elementary School PTA
Lowndes County Middle School PTA
Hayneville Middle School
Town of Ft. Deposit and Mayor Fletcher Fountain
Lowndes County Commission
Mrs. Melba Watson (Retired LCPS Gifted Education Teacher)
K.I.D.S. (Kritically Intelligent Determined Students) Gifted Education Students from Lowndes County
Deep Woods BBQ and Grill
Mrs. Ann Pringle (Retired Coordinator of Special Education, LCPS)