LYNN — One Lynn Classical High School student is using history to make a difference.
Junior Joseph Severe took home the Mass Humanities Frederick Douglass Award at the regional National History Day competition last weekend in Stoneham. The award included a $1,000 scholarship. Half of the money is dedicated to creating a civil rights section in the LCHS library. The other half can be used at Severe’s discretion.
“My plan is to take $100 of my $500 and buy even more books for our library,” he said. “What’s the point in investing in myself when it doesn’t benefit anyone?”
What will he do with the rest of his cash? Severe said he hopes to start a new program at the school called The Giving Tree, for students who are less fortunate or are looking for a safe place to hang out.
“I was inspired to do it after what happened to the homeless citizens of Chicago during the polar vortex,” he said.
The 17-year-old’s winning research project was 20 pages long and 2,487 words. His hypothesis, “Emmett Till was the catalyst for the Civil Rights movement,” exposed the triumphs and tragedies of the 1950s and 1960s.
When Severe first wrote the essay, it was not great, he said. It was a paper for class and he ended up with a grade of 70.
With help from his history teacher, Dena DiPardo, who spent Wednesday awaiting the arrival of her first child, Severe found some inspiration and was able to revamp the entire essay.
“This essay was like my baby,” Severe said. “It’s something I put a lot of emotion into. It talked a lot about how, during the movement, African Americans secured their rights by fighting for the rights I have right now.”
This is the first year the high school has participated in National History Day, a non-profit education organization, state sponsored by the Massachusetts Historical Society, that offers programs and encourages students to research historical topics of their choice. Severe was the only Lynn Classical student to enter into the competition portion of the program.
“I know Dena can’t be here right now but she told me numerous times how proud she is of the work Joseph did on this project,” said Zachary Johnson, head of the high school’s Social Studies department.
Severe and DiPardo spent all last Sunday, just before the snowstorm, waiting at the competition, surrounded by 70 other student competitors.
“Mrs. DiPardo told me we were ‘pretty great for a pregnant lady and the only student from Lynn who entered into the competition,'” he said.
Kristen Tabacco, who helped bring the educational program into the high school’s curriculum with help from Jessica Dormady, said it’s been a great learning experience for both the students and the teachers.
The school plans on continuing the program every year, since it gives students the opportunity to research things that interest them, said Tabacco. Grateful for the opportunity, Severe said he is happy he stepped out of his comfort zone to find a topic that meant a lot to him.
“I hope I am able to continue the legacies of Frederick Douglass and Emmett Till,” said Severe.
