Farnsworth Middle School Student Wins State Archives Award
October 28, 2011
Albany, NY -- The New York State Archives and Archives Partnership Trust have selected Sarah Jones from Farnsworth Middle School, Guilderland Central School District, as the recipient of the 2011 Laura and Robert Chodos Award for Excellence in Student Research Using Historical Records, Grades 6-8, for her entry “From Yalta to the Cold War.”
A certificate and cash gift was presented to Sarah at a luncheon ceremony at the Cultural Education Center in Albany on October 25, 2011. Her teacher, Deborah Escobar, was also recognized at the luncheon.
Using historical records from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, New York State Library, and National Archives, Sarah developed a well designed and comprehensive website that explains how the Yalta Conference in 1945 helped to end World War II and lead to the Cold War. By incorporating audio and video clips and historical records into her website, Sarah was able to illustrate a variety of perspectives on the topic and explain the significance and consequences of the Yalta Conference. The judges complemented Sarah on her use of historical records to enhance her arguments, and on her keen ability to select, and creatively incorporate, essential information to create her website.
The Student Research Awards are named for Regent Emerita Laura Chodos and her late husband, Dr. Robert Chodos, who created an endowment to encourage students to explore the incredible wealth of historical records in New York State. The awards are presented annually to a student, or group of students, in New York State who have made outstanding use of historical records in their research. They recognize student work for demonstrating excellence based on specific criteria: using a variety of historical records, drawing on information from those records, and interpreting and integrating that information with creativity and imagination.
“We are very pleased to recognize the winning students and their teachers of Mamaroneck Union Free School District, Guilderland Central School District, and North Salem Central School District for their outstanding projects which earned them top honors in the New York State Archives’ annual student research award contest,” said State Archivist Christine Ward. “Each year, we invite students and educators from throughout the state to conceive projects which utilize primary source documents to explore New York’s glorious past. From hundreds of submissions, we select the very finest. It is our hope that the enjoyment that these young people and their mentors derived in putting together these award winning efforts will make history relevant for them in the near future and throughout their academic careers.”
The annual Archives Awards program recognizes outstanding efforts in archives and records management work in New York State by a broad range of individuals and organizations. A complete list of this year’s award recipients follows:
William Hoyt Annual Archives Award for Advocacy
William Josephson, Of Counsel at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, LLP
Lifetime Achievement for Services in Support of New York State History and Archives
Laurence M. Hauptman, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History, State University of New York, New Paltz
Program Excellence in a Historical Records Repository
Local History/Genealogy Department of Archives of Central Library, Onondaga County Public Library
William H. Kelly Award for Excellence in Local Government Archival Program Development
Town of Russia
Cheryl Steinbach Award for Excellence in Local Government Records Management
Ontario County
Excellence in State Agency Records Management
Department of Taxation and Finance
Excellence in the Educational Use of Local Government Records by a Local Government
Clifton Park/Halfmoon Public Library
Laura and Robert Chodos Award for Excellence in Student Research Using Historical Records, Grades 4-5
Grant Tucker, Murray Avenue School, Mamaroneck Union Free School District,
Teacher: Pamela Tanenbaum
Laura and Robert Chodos Award for Excellence in Student Research Using Historical Records, Grades 6-8
Sarah Jones, Farnsworth Middle School, Guilderland Central School District,
Teacher: Deborah Escobar
Laura and Robert Chodos Award for Excellence in Student Research Using Historical Records, Grades 9-12
Cody Nager, North Salem High School, North Salem Central School District,
Teacher: Michael Valenti
