Around 170 students from eight area junior and senior high schools participated in the competition, including Conestoga Junior/Senior High School, Louisville Middle School, Saint John the Baptist School (Plattsmouth), Plattsmouth Middle School, Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca (SDA) Middle/High Schools, Johnson-Brock Public Schools, Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer (HTRS) - Unified School District #7, Lourdes Central Catholic High School and Lourdes Central Catholic Middle School (Nebraska City).

Students exhibited their research in one of five categories: paper, performance, documentary, exhibit or Web site. The top three winners in each entry category will be eligible for the statewide contest held at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln on April 19. The national competition will be held at the University of Maryland June 15-19.

Winners in the senior division (grades 9-12) include:

Senior Individual Exhibit
1st Place: Doug Grotrian – Johnson-Brock Public Schools
2nd Place: Caleb Chase – Johnson-Brock Public Schools
3rd Place: Alex Teten – Johnson-Brock Public Schools

Senior Group Exhibit

1st Place: Ashley Caspers and Tony Moran – Johnson-Brock Public Schools

2nd Place: Beth Isaacs, Elli Spaulding and Taylor Cameron - SDA

3rd Place: Amanda Whitlatch and Amanda Worm - SDA

Senior Group Performance

1st Place: Johnson-Brock Public Schools

David Schaffer

Elizabeth Gerking

Erin Johnson

Allyson Pelchat

Natasha Carbajal

Senior Individual Documentary

1st Place: Rachael Arkfeld - Lourdes Central High School

Senior Group Documentary

1st Place: Ellen Neels and Hilarie Arnold−Damme - SDA

2nd Place: Shelby Oelke, Dustin Adams and Ashley Vodicka - SDA

3rd Place: Eric Post, Christian Cole and Travis Rudolph - SDA

Senior Individual Historical Paper

1st Place: Craig Sedlacek – SDA

2nd Place: James Shaffer – Johnson-Brock Public Schools

3rd Place: Jennifer Halvorsen - SDA

Senior Interpretative Web Site

1st Place: Kay Fischer and Kayla Alberts – Johnson-Brock Public Schools

2nd Place: Joy Beasterfield, Tyler Westerfield, Brooke Wininger, Clayton Damme and Jordan Broady – Johnson-Brock Public Schools

Winners in the junior division (Grades 6-8) include:

Junior Individual Performance

1st Place: Colin Boyle – St. John The Baptist Elementary

Junior Individual Exhibit

1st Place: Austin Voigtman – St. John The Baptist Elementary

2nd Place: Stephanie Teten – Johnson-Brock Public Schools

3rd Place: Joshua Frye – St. John the Baptist Elementary

Junior Group Exhibit

1st Place: Joslyn Pfeifer and Madeleine Holmes - St. John the Baptist Elementary

2nd Place: David Warga, Matthew Mickelson and Mark Disomma - St. John the Baptist Elementary

3rd Place: Lindsey Shukis and Heather Scholl – St. John the Baptist Elementary

Junior Individual Documentary

1st Place: Jordan Beck - Louisville Middle School

2nd Place: Patrick Arkfeld - Lourdes Central Middle School

3rd Place: Quinn Gaillard – St. John The Baptist Elementary

Junior Group Performance

1st Place: Andrew Debrie, Konner Lamb, Connor Kavulak and Kathryn Edwards - Louisville Middle School

2nd Place: Savannah Miner, Kortni Congdon, Andrea Tesarek, Brenna Mabry and Hannah Jensen - Conestoga Junior/Senior High School

3rd Place: Jesse Anderson and Amanda Dyas – HTRS Middle School

Junior Group Documentary

1st Place: Gabby Rice and Kassie Schroeder – St. John The Baptist Elementary

2nd Place: Jacob Herr and Kasey Kappel – HTRS Middle School

3rd Place: Jason Curtis and Danny Conaway – St. John The Baptist Elementary

Junior Individual Historical Paper

1st Place: Christine Ruskamp – Johnson-Brock Public Schools

2nd Place: Connor Bohlken - Syracuse Middle School

3rd Place: Nicholas Behrends – Johnson-Brock Public Schools

Junior Interpretative Website

1st Place: Bailey Snider, Jenna Lepper and Kayla Dale - Plattsmouth Middle School

2nd Place: Aaron Anderson and Anna Glynn - Plattsmouth Middle School

3rd Place: Jason Hutchison - Syracuse Middle School

Other special awards include:

Arbor Lodge Award

Caleb Chase – Johnson-Brock Public Schools

The award was given for the best individual entry on environmental and/or Nebraska theme. Chase’s Senior Individual Exhibit is titled Standing Bear v. U.S. Government.

Nebraska City Museum Association Award

Shelby Reichart and Jamie Nickeson – St. John the Baptist

The award is presented for the best use of oral history interviews. The group’s exhibit is titled Here’s the Deal.

Peru Historical Foundation Award

Ashley Griswell and Brittany Siepelmeier – SDA

The award is presented for the best entry focusing on an historical event/person in Nebraska. The group’s exhibit is titled Nebraska Civil Defense.

Mayhew Cabin Award

Christine Ruskamp – Johnson-Brock Public Schools

The award is presented for the best entry on a topic involving the Underground Railroad. Ruskamp’s exhibit is titled Conflict and Compromise: The Kansas-Nebraska Act.