State Archives Honors Woodhull School Student
Thomas Kouttron is interested in many things, like most kids his age, but unlike many classmates, one of them is world history. The Woodhull Intermediate School sixth grader was recently honored by the New York State Archives with a Student Research Award for his entry, “The Background and Comparison of Duke’s Laws and Hammurabi’s Code of Laws.”
The 2008 State Archives research competition drew hundreds of entries from around the state last spring. Mr. Kouttron’s work was evaluated by a panel of judges consisting of teachers and archivists. In September, the group awarded him a Certificate of Merit “for his research efforts and fine work,” according to letter send to Woodhull Principal Kenneth Card by Julie Daniels, coordinator of educational programs and a senior archivist at the State Education Department.
“Thomas is a hard working student who is diligent and conscientious,” Dr. Card said. “Last year, he decided that he wanted to participate in the State Archival Research competition and sought guidance from his teachers, parents, and me. He worked during his free time to complete the project. The level of sophistication of his project was certainly impressive coming from a fifth grade student.”
According to the State Archives, the criteria for selection as an award winner includes “the extent to which the student used historical records, a bibliography that demonstrates and explains such use, the extent to which information from historical records was used, historical accuracy, a demonstrated understanding of historical context, evidence of creativity and imagination in interpreting and integrating information from historical records with other information, clear writing, good organization [and] correct grammar and spelling.”
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