It’s that time of the year again when every junior  at Mount Carmel is gathering his final efforts for the History Fair. This annual event doesn’t only take place  here at Mount Carmel, but it is a competition throughout the entire state. This year’s  topics must merge leadership and legacy, and projects are required to focus on topics from at least 30 years ago. In the initial stage, projects are judged by Mount Carmel faculty, and the best have the opportunity to compete in the state competition which is held in Springfield, Illinois.

A project that caught my attention was done by Junior John Drozd, who chose the late Chicago great Ernie “Mr. Cub” Banks. This was an interesting topic not only because of the recent passing of Banks, but also because of the excellent organization and use of color that Drozd presented on his poster board.   Drozd effectively conveyed how Banks, the first African-American player for the Chicago Cubs, ended up leaving a huge impact on the Chicago Cubs organization, giving them hope when there was little hope in sight, and an even bigger impact on the city of Chicago.

Another project that caught my attention was created by Junior Liam Scott. Scott also focused on sports,  choosing Chicago Bears founder George Halas.   Like Drozd, Scott presented the effect that Halas had on both the City of Chicago and the Chicago Bears.

But in my opinion the project that stood out the best was “The Legacy of Father & Son” by junior Matthew Grassano. This project explored the legacy the Daley family has/had on the city of Chicago, with Richard J. Daley becoming mayor of Chicago and then his son  Richard M. Daley succeeding him later on down the road.

Grassano enjoyed the process of researching his topic and creating his board.  “It was an amazing experience, I got to learn a lot about the the Daley family and their effect on the city of Chicago, also lots of information about the history of this fantastic city.  The (History Fair) is a great experience to gain knowledge of the city we live in.”