Caroline Stoterau Qualifies for National History Day Competition
I’m so pleased to sing the praises of Delano, Minnesota’s Caroline Stoterau, an eighth-grader at Delano High School who has made it to the State competition for her molasses flood National History Day project! Caroline was successful at both the local and regional NHD competitions with her project entitled From Sticky to Secure: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919.
When Caroline contacted me saying she had read Dark Tide, my book about the flood, and asking if she could interview me for her project, she let me know that she has been interested in the topic since the 5th grade, and was glad to finally have a chance to truly research it. I was so impressed with her poise, her enthusiasm, and the quality of her questions — just check out the photo here of Caroline wowing the judges with her knowledge of her topic!
The state-level competition will be held later in April – I’ll keep you posted on how Caroline fares in the all-Minnesota competition.
Caroline enjoys reading, research, and history, as well as art, music, volleyball, and sci-fi and action movies. I’d also like to offer thanks to Caroline’s mom, Linda Stoterau, for helping to facilitate discussions, providing photos, and offering feedback to me. I was particularly grateful for one of her observations: “Thank you so much for your communications with Caroline. It has already made a huge impact on her, and we know it’s something she’ll never forget. Thank you for your willingness to engage with and challenge students.”
It is certainly my pleasure to help students such as Caroline who work hard and show a real interest in history. Please join me in wishing her the very best in the Minnesota state competition!
