Each spring, the North Carolina Museum of History hosts the THJHA Annual Convention. Hundreds of junior historians from across the state gather for a fun, interesting, and educational day of hands-on workshops and activities. The day also includes the announcement of the winners of THJHA Annual Contests and Awards. The awards ceremony recognized junior historians for outstanding projects submitted in the THJHA contests. The projects encourage students to research the historical significance of people, places and events in their own communities.
Elijah Denton won first place in the Intermediate age division for the Exhibit and Art contest and his project. "Lighthouses of the Outer Banks," will be on display at the NC Museum of Natural History in Raleigh, NC. All winning projects are showcased for one year in the "History in Every Direction: Tar Heel Junior Historian Association Discovery Gallery."
Elijah's project offered a unique combination of programming and Art. He shared his passion for Lighthouses with an interactive display. Elijah programmed an Arduino microchip and soldered a circuit to provide lights to each of his five lighthouses. Interactive buttons allow the user to view each lighthouse's unique flash pattern. Elijah chose to sculpt four of his lighthouses from NC clay and he used a walnut branch turned on his grandfather's lathe to form the fifth and smallest lighthouse at Ocracoke. His model was built to a 1 inch:10 foot scale.