Newton County Schools has announced the winners of the district’s seventh annual Social Studies Fair, an academic event that highlights student research and inquiry across a wide range of social studies disciplines. The district competition was held at Newton College & Career Academy and featured projects from students in grades three through twelve.

The Social Studies Fair encourages students to explore real-world issues, analyze historical events and present their findings in creative and informative ways. Students selected topics across multiple fields of study, including history, geography, sociology, psychology, economics, political science and anthropology.

Participants conducted in-depth research on a topic of their choice and were evaluated on three major components: The written portion of their project, which included an abstract, bibliography, and source reflection worksheets; a visual display designed to effectively organize and communicate their research and findings; and an oral interview with judges.

Students who earned top honors at the district level will represent Newton County Schools at the regional Social Studies Fair, where they will compete against students from other school systems across the region.

In addition to earning first place in her category, Kaliyah Collier of Newton College & Career Academy was also awarded the prestigious Best in Fair Award, the highest honor presented at the district competition. The Best in Fair distinction recognizes the project that demonstrated the highest level of research, analysis, and overall excellence among all entries in the fair.

The following students’ projects earned top honors at this year’s District Social Studies Fair: Student (school), award place, “Project Title”

CLASS I (3rd and 4th Grade)

• Ivy Wise (Livingston Elementary), 2nd, “How Distraction Affects Performance”

CLASS II (5th and 6th Grade)

• Audrey Fullerton (Newton County STEAM Academy), 1st, “What Do People Know About Scouting America?”
• Paislee Boleman & Natalia Santoyo-Dominguez (Flint Hill Elementary), 1st, “From Olympia to the Olympics: How the Ancient Games Became a Global Celebration”
• Simisola Fauknle (Newton County STEAM Academy), 1st, “How Did Beauty Standards in the 1800s Affect Women”
• Aaqil Henry, Savannah Allen & Robert Harden (Veterans Memorial Middle), 1st, “The Forgotten Eruption of Mt. Tambora”
• Nabiha Choudhary & Korynn Simpson (Clements Middle), 2nd, “The Real Story Behind Jordans”
• Aniyah Golbourn (Clements Middle), 2nd, “United Airlines”
• Evarito Velasquez, Emdrien Locklin & Weston VanHorn (Flint Hill Elementary), 2nd, “The Impact of the Attack on Pearl Harbor on America’s Decision to Enter World War II and Unify the Country”
• Dariah Walker (Clements Middle), 2nd, “Youth Culture: The Electric Guitar”
• Natalie Browns (Clements Middle), 2nd, “2000 Era”
• Aissatou Diagne & Sen’tori Jenkins (Veterans Memorial Middle), 2nd, “The Dancing Plague of 1518”
• Madeline Arias, Dakota Simon & Angel Jackson (Veterans Memorial Middle), 2nd, “Electric Cars: Pros and Cons”
• Vedah Martin (Cousins Middle), 2nd, “Cherokee Indians and Their Way of Life”
• Kelsie Gresham & Maliah Chatman (Clements Middle), 2nd, “The Vietnam War”
• Wyatt Weber (Newton County STEAM Academy-Elementary), 2nd, “The Impact of the Battle of Stalingrad During WWII”
• Jaide White (Clements Middle), 2nd, “Cotton Candy: All the Craze”
• Hawa Sagara (Newton County STEAM Academy-Middle), 2nd, “How Trauma from Slavery Affects African American Behavior Today”
• Kahliyah Roberts (South Salem Elementary), 2nd, “Covid-19: A Big Change in Our Society”
• Dallas Wardlow (Middle Ridge Elementary), 2nd, “Ancient Machines”
• Bryce Williams (Veterans Memorial Middle), 2nd, “The Internet as a Social Connection Tool During Covid-19”

CLASS III (7th & 8th Grade)

• Joshua Pugh (Newton County STEAM Academy-Elementary), 1st, “Paying College Athletes: Is it Helpful or Harmful?”
• A’King Robinson (Veterans Memorial Middle), 1st, “Immigrants: Are They Really Taking Our Jobs?”
• Holden Evans (Indian Creek Middle, 1st, “Is There a Correlations Between Dyslexia and Prison Rates?”
• Audrey McGovern (Newton County STEAM Academy-Middle), 1st, “No Great Genius: How Have Mentally Ill Individuals Used Visual Arts as a Coping Mechanism Due to a Lack of Recognition or Treatment for Mental Illness?”
• Anthony Hortman, Bryan Sanchez & Willington Tomas (Veterans Memorial Middle), 1st, “The Way of the Blade”
• Zion Smith, Major Barfield & Jayda Parker (Liberty Middle), 1st, “Okefenokee Swamp”
• Joshua Spence (Newton County STEAM Academy-Middle), 1st, “How Has the World Cup Impacted the Sport of Soccer and the Host Country?”
• Theadore Campbell (Clements Middle), 1st, “Covid-19’s Lasting Effects”
• Aralynn McNutt (Veterans Memorial Middle), 2nd, “What’s the Deal With Tylenol and its Connection to Autism and ADHD?”
• Lauren Edwards & Madilyn Walker (Newton County STEAM Academy-Middle), 2nd, “The History of Kpop”
• Nevai Betz (Liberty Middle), 2nd, “Bronner Brothers of Atlanta”
• Yvette Osorio Condado & Jazlyn Hunt (Liberty Middle), 2nd, “History of Bronner Brothers”
• Sadie Robinson (Cousins Middle), 2nd, “The Chickasaw: Name and Language”
• Victoria Jones (Veterans Memorial Middle), 2nd, “Educational Violence”
• Walter Ringstaff (Newton County STEAM Academy-Middle), 2nd, “Teens and their Frontal Lobe”
• Alesia Russell-Howard (Liberty Middle), 2nd, “Andrew Jackson vs. Donald Trump”
• Skylar Sneed-Johnson (Veterans Memorial Middle), 2nd, “American Dream Fact or Fiction”

CLASS IV (9th - 12th Grade)

• Kaliyah Collier (Newton College & Career Academy), 1st, “Dare to be Dreamers: DACA Recipients and Immigration in America”
• Dallas Odeneal & Jassiah Allen (Alcovy High), 1st, “Fascism on the Rise”
• Rhonda Grider-Purchase (Newton College & Career Academy), 1st, “Beyond the Box Office: What Components Make a Successful Animated Film?”
• Londyn Weeks (Newton High), 2nd “How Does Being Alternative Impact the Political Arena: A Short Story of Alternativism, Its Growth and the People Within the Style”
• Elise Bray, Elysha Toro & Brianna Taylor (Newton High), 2nd, “Tired of the Grind? Let Us Tell You Why Our Mental Health Declines”
• Jordan White (Newton High), 2nd, “Loneliness and Connection Among High School Students”
• Basil Steele, Jade Cherry & Alexa-Rae Thompson (Newton High), 2nd, “LGBTQIA”

“Our students continue to impress us with the depth of their research and the thoughtful perspectives they bring to complex historical and social issues,” said Dr. Ashante Everett, assistant superintendent for Teaching and Learning for Newton County Schools. “The Social Studies Fair allows students to explore topics that matter to them while strengthening the academic skills that prepare them for future success. Their work is a reflection of the strong teaching and learning taking place across Newton County Schools.”