WHEATLAND – Wheatland Middle School Students recently returned from Washington D.C. after successful presentations of their projects at National History Day competition.
Appearing before the school board to give a presentation, Chaizley Williams, Andrea Fox and Drew McDaniel. Henry Russell and Coy Robertson were unable to attend the board meeting due to schedule conflicts.
The year’s history day theme was “Turning Points in History.” Russell came back with the Wyoming medal for the Junior Individual Website category for his website, “Doolittle Strikes Back.” This is the fourth consecutive year the award has gone to a Wheatland student.

“He gave his best interview ever. I was very proud of him,” teacher MaryJoBirt said. “I’m proud of all the students – it was a good group, and we had a lot of fun,” Birt said, adding a thank you to principal Robert Daniel for making sure the funds were available for the kids to go on the trip.
Williams and Fox worked on a group website “Turning the Turf,” a website about FFA. McDaniel and Robertson gave a presentation, “The First Small Step,” about NASA’s Project Mercury to test space flight with chimpanzees. McDaniel said the most important part of their research was with Wheatland Resident Bill Britz, who let them interview him on behalf of his dad, Dr. Bill Britz, who was part of Project Mercury as a veterinarian for “Ham” – the first chimpanzee in space. The Britz’s also gave them use of their family’s collection of files on the subject.
“I would say that our five students represented this little Wheatland well, we had a great time competing,” Birt said.
Birt has led the history day group for at least 25 years and has taken students to nationals every year but one during that time. Students must win at the state level in order to qualify for nationals.