DAVIDSON, N.C. – During the North Carolina state competition of National History Day, held in Raleigh on April 30, 2016, two Woodlawn School students qualified to advance to the National finals to be held in College Park, Maryland in June.

Senior Individual Exhibit: Megan Dailey, of Davidson (2nd place): Nellie Bly's Encounters with Women's Rights

Junior Individual Documentary: Lily Klett, of Davidson (1st place): Trade and Tolerance: The Dutch Encounters in America

Additionally, two students -- Angelika Freeman and Campbell Lindquist, both of Davidson -- won special awards with cash prizes.

"Lily researched a topic of personal interest to her - her Dutch heritage," says Beth Robinson, Woodlawn School Social Studies teacher and National History Day advisor, who explained that Lily contacted organizations dedicated to Dutch history in America. "She spoke with individuals on the phone, and conducted personal interviews with experts and family members to compile a thesis with vast primary source support."

Lily's research was presented as a documentary. An eighth grade student, she taught herself the filmmaking process by watching YouTube instructional clips.

Megan, a high school freshman, built upon the National History Day research she conducted during Middle School, writing her 2016 thesis after analyzing primary source documents. "I doubt there is a teenager in America who has researched more about Nellie Bly's life and journey to gain rights for women than Megan," Robinson adds. "Her enthusiasm for going above and beyond in her research and understanding of the topic was exceptional."

National History Day is a nationwide competition open to Middle and Upper School students, who submit a project in one of several categories (research paper, video documentary, website, exhibit, performance) relating to a particular theme. The winners advance to the regional, state, and national levels. Woodlawn students have participated in the competition every year since 2005. The 2016 theme is "Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History."

For more details, please visit our National History Day webpage.

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Woodlawn is an independent school founded in 2002 and located just north of Davidson, North Carolina. Enrolling students in grades K through 12, Woodlawn is accredited by both the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and offers a challenging, project-based academic experience.