Despite winter weather that often kept students home from school, the number of entries was up in the National History Day district contest held Saturday at Southeast Missouri State University, according to the contest's coordinator.

"Feedback from teachers indicated the topic was a difficult one and combined with snow days, this is a testament to students, teachers and parents," said coordinator Dr. Joel Rhodes of Southeast Missouri State University's history department.

Representing 22 Southeast Missouri schools, 220 entries were submitted by 500 students in four categories: exhibit, media, performance or historical paper. Students paired with faculty members made up the 61 volunteer judges.

About 200 entries were entered last year, Rhodes said.

Historical content, how well kids tied the topic to the theme of "Rights and Responsibilities in History," and an explanation of significance to history were important points in the judging.

Aimee Ha of Cape Girardeau was learning about the First Amendment at St. Mary Cathedral School when she chose the trial of John Peter Zenger to base her exhibit on. Zenger, a printer of the New York Weekly Journal, was brought to trial July 29, 1735, for libel, a case that influenced the drafting of the First Amendment.

Sara Richter of Cairo, Ill., and Hannah Schaefer of Cape Girardeau, who both attend St. Mary Cathedral School, teamed up with an exhibit on the changing lifestyles of Muslim women to honor their friend, Sabeen Shakil, who died in a plane crash in October. While Americanized, Shakil did maintain some Muslim customs.

"Before Allah gave them rights, Muslim women were treated really bad," Richter said.

The two worked on weekends for about a month and a half but found the contest was fun as projects were exhibited.

Students who placed first, second or third advance to the state National History Day competition in Columbia, Mo., April 12.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133 Elementary division individual exhibits

Brittany Burnett placed first for "Innocence Lost: Child Labor in America's Mills and Mines." Brandon Bennett placed second for "We Hold These Truths: Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence." Both attend Risco schools.Elementary division group exhibits

Anna Godbey and Ashley Moore placed first for "The Patient Sufferance of Women: The Life of Susan B. Anthony." Cassie Vise and Grace Powell placed second for "All Rights Are The Offspring of Responsibilities: The Grimke Sisters and the Battle Over Slavery." Ross Carter and Justin Earnheart placed third for "No Gaine Without Paine: Thomas Paine and the American Revolution." All students attend at Risco.Junior division historical papers

Karen Obermann placed first for "Cherokee Lose Rights-Government Ignores Responsiblities." She is a student at St. Ambrose. Brooke Kight, a student at Bell City, placed second for "All Aboard: Society's Answer to an Orphan's Problems.' Michelle Ermatinger-Salas, a student at St. Vincent DePaul, placed third for "Taking Responsibility for the Rights of Others During World War II."Junior division individual exhibits

Jenny Eubank placed first for "Susan B. Anthony's Fight for Women's Suffrage." She is a student at Bernie High School. Tyla Cloninger, a student at Bernie High School, placed second for "Cherokee Rights Trampled." Emily Matthews, a student at St. Mary Cathedral School, placed third for "Major League Baseball and the 1994 Strike."Junior division group exhibits

Dakota Green and Michael Standfuss, students at Lincoln Intermediate Center, placed second for "The Berlin Wall." Whitney Plunkett and Shakena Williams, students at Greenville Junior High, placed second for "The Klan: The Rights of the Ku Klux Klan." Jeremy McGarity and Jonathan McGarity, students at Richland, placed third for "World War II POWs of Conran, Mo." Junior division individual performance

Emilie Stephens placed first for "Bridging the Gap: A Walk That Makes A Difference." She is a student at Bell City. Micheal McCormick, a student at Risco, placed second for "A Clarion Call: Rights and Responsibilities in the Words of Abraham Lincoln." Edward Doyle, a student at St. Ambrose, placed third for "John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address."Junior division group performance

Kacee Hughes, Wesley Hurlebusch and Alex Johnson, students at Bernie High School, placed first for "About a Boy: Emmitt Till and Civil Rights." Sydrey Abernathy, Madison Owens, Chelsea Cornwell and Summer Schwent, students at Bernie High School, placed second for "The Women Are Steppin' Up: The Fight For Women's Rights." Erin Metcalf and Whitney Metcalf, students at Bell City, placed third for "Hidden Hope in the Holocaust: The Story of Corrie Ten Boom."Junior division individual media

Kelsey Murphy placed first for "Red Tide Rising: NATO Taking Responsibility and Protection, Rights in the Cold War." She is a student at Risco. Samantha Schaefer, a student at St. Ambrose, placed second for "To Print or Not To Print." Macy Ellsworth, a student at Gideon Elementary, placed third for "Our Toiling Children."Junior division group media

Mallory Estes, Brittany Koch and Caitlin Scheeter, students at St. Ambrose, placed first for "FDR's Four Freedoms." Cody Bailey and Clay Dover of Bell City placed second for their project on the Trail of Tears, and Marcus Pinton and Bobby Wallace of Bell City placed third for "George Whitefield: The Beginning to the End."Senior division historical papers

Whitney Crow of Bernie High School took first for a Trail of Tears paper, Mark Vanes of Zalma High School took second for the Scopes trial and Candy Sipes of Clarkton High School took third for a paper on the FBI.Senior division individual performance

Anna Powell of Risco took first for "Honored but Unlamented: One President's Story." Darri Shipman of Bernie High School took second for a Shannon Faulkner project. There was no third place.Senior division group performance

Risco students Amber Ford and Rachel King won first place for "Butler's Belles." Steven White, Corey Ladyman, Lacey Provance and Chris Prewett of Clarkton High School took second for "Risking Darkness to Reach the Light," and Jessica Harrington, Calvina Adams, Sharita Hill, Ashley Myers and Demetera Hill of Clarkton took third for "Enough is Enough: A Tale of Child Abuse."Senior division individual media

Hannah Jester of Risco took first place for "Snow White and Tailgunner Joe," and Brian Ramsey of Bell City took second for "Out of the Muck: Progressives of the Early 1900s."Senior division group media

Daniel Boren, Leigh Ann Rhodes, Steve Williams and Stephanie Williams of Bell City took first for "The Right to Strike: Sharecroppers Strike of 1939." Nate Hinchey and Daniel Bono of R.O. Hawkins Junior High took second for "Operation Wrath of God: Responsibility to Reciprocate." Ashley Smith, Brooke Duckworth and Kim Marshall of Risco took second for "Through Stained Glass: The Birmingham Bombing and Search for Justice."Senior division group exhibits

Brooke Glenn, Gabrielle Lemons and Adam Epps of Southern Missouri Christian School took first for "Pony Express: Heroes on Horseback." David Keown and Jared Colbert of Risco took second for "With all Deliberate Speed: The Little Rock Nine." Jessica Meadows, Arika Ballenger and Rachel Whelan of Southern Missouri Christian School took third for "Dirty Little Secrets of Salem."Senior individual projects

Home-schooled student Adam Ansberry won first place and a one-year scholarship to Southeast Missouri State University for "Child's Rights, Parental Responsibilities: Sectional Differences in Colonial America and the Effect on Families Today." Joshua Smith of Greenville won second for "If You Want a Friend in Washington, Buy a Dog." Whitney Brooke West of Zalma took third for "Nat Turner's Rebellion."

Hallie Fieser of Jackson won best project in regional history for "Reading, Writing, Arithmetic: Rural Education in Missouri."

Risco won the sweepstakes award for most winning entries. It was the 13th time in a row for the school.