Mehlville High School senior Jessica Ghormley will take her research paper, “The Kellogg-Briand Pact: A Well Intentioned Failure,” all the way to the national level of the National History Day competition thanks to her recent success at the state contest.

After earning second place at the regional level and first place at the state level in the Senior Historical Paper Division of the National History Day program, Ghormley will compete against her peers from across the country at the national competition to be held at the University of Maryland in June.

“I was excited about winning but a little surprised. I wasn’t expecting to win,” Ghormley stated in a district news release.

National History Day is an annual program that encourages students to conduct extensive primary and secondary research on a specific historical topic, analyze their data and draw conclusions about their topic’s significance in history. To develop her paper, Ghormley participated in an independent study with MHS history teacher Dan Lamping.

“Jessica is a very meticulous, thoughtful and independent student,” Lamping stated in the release. “My hope is that more than anything throughout this process she learned the value of revision and the power of her own voice when writing, and that by putting herself out there and participating, she can stand out above the rest.”

Ghormley is the daughter of Sharon and Mike Ghormley, who is an MHS teacher.