The entry claiming first place in this year’s Vashon Heritage Museum’s Vashon Story History Contest was created by Chautauqua Elementary School (CES) fifth grader Nico Youngs and fourth grader Maia Steffens.

(Maia Steffens, left; Nico Youngs, right)

Their video titled “Following the Roots of the Vashon Strawberry Festival” explored the story of the Strawberry Festival using stop motion techniques and creative paper cutouts. The museum’s contest committee found the entry to be informative and fun, showing good historical research and a creative use of video to tell the story.   

Second place was awarded to CES fifth grader Gracie Protzeller for her inventive poster with the self-explanatory title “Why is Vashon Island Shaped Like a Dancing Man?” Third place went to CES fourth grader Addie Davidson’s “Where Am I and How Did I Get Here?”, a written piece with photos exploring her family’s history and sense of  place on Vashon. 

Other Chautauqua students receiving an honorable mention include Adeline Arthur & Jia Khurana (shared entry), Elizabeth DeLapp, Juno Leonard, Sadie Reissinger, Amelia Ann Stone and Julip Youngs. The contest committee noted how impressed they were regarding the thoughtfulness and dedication apparent in all of the entries. The students were reflective about history, used their voices in the stories they chose to tell, and presented their entries with a range of styles and materials.

Following the story contest’s two-year hiatus due to COVID, Vashon Thriftway once again  proudly sponsored this year’s event. The contest encouraged Vashon students to creatively present aspects of life and history on Vashon they think should be shared and remembered.