Lassen High School was recently transformed into a walkthrough of the past century as U.S. History students debuted their “100 Years of U.S. History” museum exhibits. Now in its second year, the project has quickly become a highlight of the academic calendar, challenging students to step beyond traditional textbooks and into the role of curators.
According to LHS History teacher Carla Dollar, the project’s success stems from the creative freedom it offers. Students are encouraged to choose their own teams and topics, a format that resulted in a wide array of “amazingly intelligent” displays.
This year, the assignment came with an added layer of complexity: students were required to tie their historical research into a specific theme provided by the Lassen County Office of Education — “Discover what’s hidden, Play beyond the obvious.”
Dollar noted that while connecting historical events to such an abstract theme can be a significant challenge, the students excelled, uncovering hidden narratives in everything from space exploration to environmental disasters.
The month-long preparation culminated in a competitive judging process involving school board members, teachers, staff, and local community volunteers. Taking the top spot this year was a deep dive into “The Hubble Space Telescope,” created by the team of Yulieth Orozco, Haidyn Snyder, Stone Henry, and Kay Nas Jayden Kiris. Each member of the first-place team was awarded a $100 gift card for their efforts.
Second place was awarded to Delilah Delgado for her poignant look at “Love Canal,” earning a $50 gift card, while Teddy Crawford took third place and a $25 gift card for an exhibit on “Prohibition.”
The “Student Choice” award, a highly coveted peer-voted honor, went to Angel Camasena, Reece Wolfe, and Haylanie Hideo for their dramatic presentation on the “Mt. St. Helens Eruption.”
Instructor Gabi Newman, one of the driving forces behind the project, extended a special thank you from the LHS History Department to Lassen County Best of Broadway for donating the prize gift cards and to the LCOE for providing the essential building supplies that made these visual displays possible.
The excellence isn’t staying confined to the high school campus, however. The top 14 projects have been invited to showcase their work at the LCOE Fine Arts and History Festival on March 3rd and 4th.
Among those heading to the festival are Addison Weeks and Cicily Tupper with their look at “Harambe,” Peyton Pratt and Adelin McClure’s “1940s Hollywood Movie Set,” and Kamea Ramsey’s “Space Race” exhibit.
Other featured topics include a study of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital by Meshell Jordan and Dezerae Davis, a mystery-focused display on the Zodiac Killer by Cadence Morris and Tatum Gatie, and an important look at Japanese Internment Camps by Makenzie Arthurs.
The festival lineup is rounded out by diverse topics such as the “1980 Miracle on Ice,” the sinking of the Titanic, the Civil Rights Movement, the Gulf War, the bombing of Hiroshima, the culture of Speakeasies, and the Battle of Midway.
With so much local talent on display, the upcoming Fine Arts and History Festival promises to be an enlightening look at a century of American life through the eyes of Susanville’s youth.
