Vienna High School Student Wins Virginia Historical Society Award

Vienna resident Megan Ganley, a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, was presented with the 2012 Bobby Chandler High School Student Award by the Virginia Historical Society in July.

According to the Virginia Historical Society, the award is presented to a high school history student who "demonstrates intelligence, creativity, and research skills using primary source materials." Ganley’s paper, “Real American Heroes,” analyzed comic books from the golden age of American comics in the 1930s and 1940s.  Her essay examined changes in American culture, exploring such themes as immigration, women’s rights, patriotism, and the changing nature of the American Dream.

The Historical Society presented eleven different 2012 awards to teachers, a collector, a historian, students, a volunteer, and staff who have demonstrated excellence and scholarship in history.

“It is in history that many of us find comfort, that we find meaning,” Dr. Paul Levengood, VHS president and CEO, said in a statement. “We are here as a refuge and as a place to learn and put our lives in context. What else but history, and perhaps faith, allows us to do that?”

Virginia Historical Society award recipients from Fairfax County and Northern Virginia include:

Kathleen Nealon, Ph.D., a teacher at North Springfield Elementary School in Springfield, was awarded the Brenton S. Halsey Teaching Excellence Award.

George Mason University history professor Cynthia A. Kierner was awarded the 2012 Richard Slatten Award.

M. Cricket Bauer of Alexandria was awarded the 2012 Lora Robins Award for her work as a collector and preservationist.