News of Norway, issue 6, 1996
Taking a Stand," the theme of this year's competition, inspired secondary school students to examine the courage of individuals in history. Subjects ranged from Rosa Parks' protest against segregation to a group of Japanese-American soldiers who became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for their exploits in World War II.
Fourteen-year-old Sunni Liv says, "I thought that the Norwegian Resistance during World War II would be an excellent example of this theme. I represented this topic with a slide presentation, accompanied by a 500-word paper and an extensive annotated bibliography." Her efforts won her the third place prize in the Puget Sound region, then second place in the Washington State competition, and an invitation to the national competition in Washington, DC in June.
"She did extremely well at the competition, placing sixth in the nation," says Cathy Gorn, executive director of National History Day. Seventy students from all over the continent had qualified for the finals in the Junior Division. Some 500,000 students nationwide participated in National History Day, bringing the total number who have participated over the years to nearly 4.5 million. The annual competition is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, corporations, foundations and individuals.
Sunni Johnson's experience both derives from and confirms the special ties that bind America and Norway. First of all, her great grandparents emigrated from Norway to settle in Montana. Then, a generation ago, her father's family hosted a foreign exchange student, Bengt Lie Hansen, in their home, whereupon Bengt Lie Hansen and Doug Johnson pledged to continue the exchange program with their children. Thus it was that last summer Sunni vacationed in Norway.
She decided to do her project on the Norwegian Resistance Movement after learning that Hansen's father-in-law was a resistance organizer who had been shot and later imprisoned by the Germans. Sunni's paper told of that special person, of her own visit in Slevik, of seeing the fortress that repulsed the first German attack on Norway long enough for the royal family to escape to England, and of a visit to the Resistance Museum.
Olav Brakstad, a retired college professor living in Bremerton, was Sunni's most valuable resource. He spoke with her, shared his personal photographs and provided enthusiastic support as he saw the project materialize and improve at each level of competition. Mr. Brakstad had been imprisoned at Grini, a concentration camp in Norway, for being a student protester at the University of Oslo. He later became active in the Resistance.
Sunni's research started at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle where she met Julius Rochester and Olaf Kvamme, both of Norwegian descent. They opened the door to resources in the Norwegian community and put her in touch with Christine Andersen who had created a video on the resistance. Terje Leiren, a professor of Scandinavian studies and history at the University of Washington, provided useful comments on the initial 1,500-word paper. Several other people helped as well.
Sunni's paper included this interesting sumuppance: "The Norwegians were the first in history to ever counter nuclear proliferation. They never gave in to the 400,000 German conquerors living in Norway during 1940-1945. The Norwegians saved half of their Jewish citizens by taking them across the border to Sweden. One of the largest merchant marine shipping fleets in the world belonged to Norway and worked against Germany. The Norwegians fought hard to the end. With their stand against Nazi Germany, Norway made a difference for the rest of the world."
Sunni is good in other subjects besides history. Her favorite class is English, and she graduated from Woodward Middle School on Bainbridge Island with a 4.0 GPA. Athletic as well as studious, her two favorite sports are soccer and sailing. And, needless to say, she is proud of her Norwegian heritage.