On Friday, Jan. 24, Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill) paid a visit to the National History Fair showcase hosted in the LMC. Schneider talked to students, shook hands and browsed different projects on display.
“[VHHS has] the fair on Thursday and Friday. I got an email Thursday, about seventh period, from one of the Congressman’s aides [saying] that he had a change in his schedule and was looking to try to come [to the history fair],” Matthew Bellito, social studies teacher, said.
Bellito explained that this is the 11th year VHHS has hosted the National History Fair, which is a US History research project students work on from September until January. Students have the chance to compete at sectionals, state and national levels.
“[Teachers] always want students to be able to do research. We think [it’s] important because a lot of college assignments are based on research,” Bellito said.
Anara Katzman (11) wrote a paper on the Nixon administration and its lasting impact on Congress. Katzman was one of the students who had a chance to talk to the congressman about her project.
“He asked me what I thought [was] a way to fix the partisan division [in Congress] that I was discussing in my project,” Katzman said. “I appreciated that he showed interest [in the projects] and everything..it was really cool that he came and got to meet everybody and talk to us.”
Angel Knutson (11) made a trifold about the Navajo Code Talkers, who used a secret, codified language to pass messages along to the Allied force during World War II.
“I was just shocked, because I walked into the library and I was like, ‘Who’s that?’…I didn’t expect to meet the congressman,” Knutson said. “We talked about my project and found a connection to Congress, because [they] awarded medals to the Navajo Code Talkers.”
Devan Acharya (11), along with Patrick Lukaszka (11), also had the opportunity to discuss their display on the Manhattan Project with the congressman.
“[Schneider] asked a lot of questions that put me and my partner, Patrick, on the spot, although we felt comfortable answering the questions and it was fun to talk to him,” Acharya said. “He was a pretty chill guy.”
Acharya and Lukaszka were the last students the congressman spoke with at the history fair before he left – they talked during passing period and a little into the next period. So, Schneider asked his aides for a business card, which he gave to Acharya and Lukaszka to use as a pass to class.
“He wrote ‘it’s my fault Devan’s late to class,’ even though I was going to lunch,” Acharya said. “But it was fine, it [was] pretty cool… he’s a good guy.”