UIC Honors Budding Historians

Posted on May 07, 2012

On Tuesday, April 10th, UIC was proud to host the Chicago History Fair Metro Finals at Student Center East.  This academic year, as part of an independent study project, Teaching of History Graduate Program Assistant and MAT candidate Scott Fenwick has worked as a History Fair instructional coach at Bronzeville Scholastic Institute (BSI), a small school housed within historic DuSable High School on Chicago's south side.  Following the competition, Scott hosted an afternoon reception in UH 950 to celebrate eleven BSI students' achievements as Chicago Metro Finalists.  Eleven students, along with their teacher Kristen Machezynski and principal Latunja Williams, were the guests of honor.

Over coffee and cake, professors Laura Hostetler, Deirdre McCloskey, Robert Johnston, Jeff Sklansky, and Corey Capers, along with graduate students Lara Kelland and Caleb Hardner, learned about the burgeoning historians' projects and their experiences as researchers and writers.  All were especially delighted to sit at the seminar table while BSI senior Chakena Sims presented her website project on the  1960 Rainbow Beach Wade-In.  And little did the attendees know that all eleven students would become Illinois State History Expo Finalists just days after the Chicago Metro competition!  The reception was a great success and further demonstrates the UIC Department of History's continued support for the Chicago History Fair and commitment to promoting inquiry teaching at the secondary level.
To learn more about the Chicago History Fair (and perhaps how you can volunteer) please contact Robert Johnston or Scott Fenwick or visit the Chicago Metro History Education Center's website at http://www.chicagohistoryfair.org/
**List of Bronzeville Scholastic Institute's students and projects:

Big Plans for Chicago (Exhibit on the Burnham Plan)

By Ashley Gordon, De’Andra Hodges, and Darnell McCormick

 

Lynching Who? Publications and Authors (Exhibit on anti-lynching movements spearheaded by Ida B. Wells and promoted by Chicago newspapers)

By Azurae’ Coleman, David Jones, and Brittany Walker

 

The Rise of Provident Hospital (Exhibit on Daniel Hale Williams's efforts to fight segregation in medicine)

By Charmaine Hall and Kiana Mott

 

Time for a Change: Civil Rights in Chicago (Exhibit on housing segregation and how the civil rights movement ignited "White Flight")

By Amber Frink and Kairah Garcia

 

Violent Reaction to Non-violent Protest: A Revolutionary Wade into Freedom (Website on the 1960 Rainbow Beach civil rights protest)

By Chakena Sims

Modified on June 22, 2018