Bailey on to National History Days

At left -- Taylor Bailey receives her second place medal from the Washburn University President at the Kansas State History Day Competition held at Washburn University, Topeka.

Taylor Bailey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roger Bailey, Fort Scott will represent Kansas in the Junior Performance Category at National History Days, June 10-14 in College Park, Md. This is Taylor's second consecutive year to compete in this category on the national level. Over 2 million high school and middle school students start History Day projects and only 2,000 make it to the national level. To be eligible, she had to place first or second at Kansas District and State Competitions. The theme this year is "Triumph and Tragedy."

In the performance category the student must research his or her topic, write a process paper and script, and document his or her research in annotated bibliographies. The performance must have authentic costumes and props, and it must be between eight to 10 minutes in length. Taylor's performance is entitled "Typhoid Trauma." She portrays Mary Mallon otherwise known as "Typhoid Mary" as both a victim and a villain as she is the first documented carrier of typhoid fever.

Michelle Brittain, of Fort Scott Middle School, is Taylor's instructor.