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Newton County Schools announces district Social Studies Fair winners
ncs social studies
Kaliyah Collier, a student at Newton College & Career Academy, won the Best in Fair Award for her project titled “Dare to be Dreamers: DACA Recipients and Immigration in America. Photo via Newton County Schools.

Newton County Schools has announced the winners of the district’s 7th 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 12.

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 award-winning students are: [Name (School) award “project”]:

  • Ivy Wise (Livingston Elementary) 2nd place “How Distraction Affects Performance”
  • Audrey Fullerton (Newton County STEAM Academy) 1st place “What Do People Know About Scouting America?”
  • Paislee Boleman & Natalia Santoyo-Dominguez (Flint Hill Elementary) 1st place “From Olympia to the Olympics: How the Ancient Games Became a Global Celebration”
  • Simisola Fauknle (Newton County STEAM Academy) 1st place “How Did Beauty Standards in the 1800s Affect Women”
  • Aaqil Henry, Savannah Allen and Robert Harden (Veterans Memorial Middle) 1st place “The Forgotten Eruption of Mt. Tambora”
  • Nabiha Choudhary & Korynn Simpson (Clements Middle) 2nd place “The Real Story Behind Jordans”
  • Aniyah Golbourn (Clements Middle) 2nd place “United Airlines”
  • Evarito Velasquez, Emdrien Locklin and Weston VanHorn (Flint Hill Elementary) 2nd place “The IMpact of the Attack on Pearl Harbor on America’s Decision to Enter World War II and Unify the Country”
  • Darah Walker (Clements Middle) 2nd place “Youth Culture: The Electric Guitar”
  • Natalie Browne (Clements Middle) 2nd place “2000 Era”
  • Aissatou Diagne & Sen’tori Jenkins (Veterans Memorial Middle) 2nd place “The Dancing Plague of 1518”
  • Madeline Arias, Dakota Simon and Angel Jackson (Veterans Memorial Middle) 2nd place “Electric Cars: Pros and Cons”
  • Vedah Martin (Cousins Middle) 2nd place “Cherokee Indians and Their Way of LIfe”
  • Kelsie Gresham & Maliah Chatman (Clements Middle) 2nd place “The Vietnam War”
  • Wyatt Weber (Newton County STEAM Academy) 2nd place “The Impact of the Battle of Stalingrad During WWII”
  • Jaide White (Clements Middle) 2nd place “Cotton Candy: All the Craze”
  • Hawa Sagara (Newton County STEAM Academy) 2nd place “How Trauma from Slavery Affects African American Behavior Today”
  • Kahliyah Roberts (South Salem Elementary) 2nd place “COVID-19 A Big Change in Our Society”
  • Dallas Wardlow (Middle Ridge Elementary) 2nd place “Ancient Machines”
  • Bryce Williams (Veterans Memorial Middle) 2nd place “The Internet as a Social Connection Tool During COVID-19”
  • Joshua Pugh (Newton County STEAM Academy) 1st place “Paying College Athletes: Is it Helpful or Harmful?”
  • A’King Robinson (Veterans Memorial Middle) 1st place “Immigrants: Are They Really Taking Our Jobs?”
  • Holden Evans (Indian Creek Middle) 1st place “Is There a Correlation Between Dyslexia and Prison Rates?”
  • Audrey McGovern (Newton County STEAM Academy) 1st place “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 and Willington Tomas (Veterans Memorial Middle) 1st place “The Way of the Blade”
  • Zion Smith, Major Barfield and Jayda Parker (Veterans Memorial Middle) 1st place “Okefenokee Swamp”
  • Joshua Spence (Newton County STEAM Academy Middle) 1st place “How Has the World Cup Impacted the Sport of Soccer and the Host Country?”
  • Theadore Campbell (Clements Middle) 1st place “COVID-19’s Lasting Effects”
  • Aralynn McNutt (Veterans Memorial Middle) 2nd place “What’s the Deal With Tylenol and its Connection to Autism and ADHD?”
  • Lauren Edwards and Madilyn Walker ((Newton County STEAM Academy Middle) 2nd place “The history of KPop”
  • Nevai Betz (Liberty Middle) 2nd place “Bronner Brothers of Atlanta”
  • Yvette Osorio Condado and Jazlyn Hunt (Liberty Middle) 2nd place “History of Bronner Brothers:
  • Sadie Robinson (Cousins Middle) 2nd place “The Chickasaw: Name and Language”
  • Victoria Jones (Veterans Memorial Middle) 2nd place “Educational Violence”
  • Walter Ringstaff (Newton County STEAM Academy) 2nd place “Teens and their Frontal Lobe”
  • Alesia Russell-Howard (Liberty Middle) 2nd place “Andrew Jackson vs. Donald Trump”
  • Skylar Sneed-Johnson (Veterans Memorial Middle) 2nd place “American Dream Fact or Fiction
  • Kaliyah Collier (NCCA) 1st place “Dare to be Dreamers: DACA Recipients and Immigration in America”
  • Dallas Odeneal and Jassiah Allen (Alcovy High) 1st place “Fascism on the Rise”
  • Rhonda Grider-Purchase (NCCA) 1st place “Beyond the Box Office: What Components Make a Successful Animated Film?”
  • Londyn Weeks (Newton High)  2nd place “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 and Brianna Taylor (Newton High) 2nd place “Tired of the Grind? Let Us Tell You Why Our Mental Health Declines”
  • Jordan White (Newton High) 2nd place “Loneliness and Connection Among High School Students”
  • Basil Steele, Jade Cherry and Alexa-Rae Thompson (Newton High) 2nd place “LGBTQIA”