By placing first in the Washington State division of the National History Day contest, Keeley Brooks qualified to participate in the nationwide competition in Washington, D.C. Not content to simply be a top-notch student, Brooks is also a well-regarded violinist and an accomplished athlete.
Liberty Bell High School sophomore Keeley Brooks recently took first place in the National History Day Contest for the state of Washington, in the Senior Individual Website category. The win qualifies Brooks to participate in the nationwide competition in June in Washington, D.C.
Led by Liberty Bell teachers David Aspholm and Scott Barber, and supported by Rebecca Shoup and the Public School Funding Alliance, Liberty Bell eighth- and 10th-grade students made a strong impression at the National History Day regional competition that took place earlier this winter, with many taking top honors and advancing to the state competition, according to the Methow Valley School District.
Brooks’ website project was “Miné Okubo: Drawings of the Incarcerated.” Okubo became the voice of the Japanese Americans who were incarcerated after Pearl Harbor by compiling hundreds of her drawings, thus becoming the first person to publish a documented account of internee life. On her website, Brooks notes that Miné “triumphed over tragedy by alerting the rest of the public to the impact of the government’s racist decisions and aiding the movement of justice for Japanese Americans.”
Throughout the fall and winter, Liberty Bell students engaged in research associated with a variety of topics based on the theme “Triumph and Tragedy in History.”
