Each year, students spend an entire school year working on their papers, exhibits, documentaries, and performances for the regional, state, and national History Day competitions held each spring. Students compete in two age groups – junior (grades 6-8) or senior (grades 9-12) – and can work as individuals or part of a team.

In June, winners from each state contest converge on the University of Maryland campus at College Park to compete in the ultimate competition – “Nationals.”

This year’s theme was “Communication in History: The Key to Understanding.” As always, the students were extremely creative with their topics, producing some projects that any museum would be proud to call their own!

Christopher Kenney, Director of Education at the Wm. McKinley Presidential Library & Museum and Ohio History Day Regional Coordinator for District 5, traveled to Maryland to see Nationals for the first time this year.

“It was a great experience to see all of the students so excited about history!” Kenney said. “All of the projects were the best of the best.”

Although it was a competition, camaraderie won out in the end. “There was a lot of state pride,” Kenney said. “When someone won from your state, everybody was really happy.”

History Day represents a unique partnership between museums and schools. Many of the competitions are held at museums, and many of the volunteer judges are museum employees. Building stronger bridges between teachers, students, and museum professionals can only enhance the field of history for everyone.

Check out this year’s final results!

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Format:

Rank
City, State, School, Teacher
Title
Student


JUNIOR GROUP DOCUMENTARY

First Place
Storm Lake, IA, Storm Lake Middle School, Roberta Moore
Circuit Chautauqua: Culture, Companionship, and Education Under Canvas
Justine Scarbrough
Kristi Davis

Second Place
Topeka, KS, Topeka Collegiate School, Mr. Travis Lamb
Walking the Path of Duty: William Allen White and the Ku Klux Klan
Anna Hamilton
Sjobor Hammer

Third Place
Mechanicsburg, PA, Mechanicsburg Middle School, Rebecca Lacey
Talk Silent, Speak Swift, Stay Alive
Andrew Quigley
Scott Inderbitzen

JUNIOR GROUP EXHIBIT

First Place
Cheraw, SC, Long Middle School, Debra Ballard
The Greensboro Sit-ins: Communicating Civil Rights by Sitting Down
Ben Hutson
Lee Hinson

Second Place
Anaheim, CA, Acaciawood School, John Pester
Understanding The Causes And Consequences Of The Fog Of War: The Role Of Communication In The My Lai Massacre
Shaun Pan
Paul Higashi
Michael Jones
Hugo Martinez

Third Place
Pensacola, FL, Brown Barge Middle School, Linda Fussell
Communicating the American Promise: President Johnson and the Voting Rights Act
Abigail Rawson
Rachel Jones

JUNIOR GROUP PERFORMANCE

First Place
Minneapolis, MN, Anne Sullivan Comm. Ctr, Ron Hustvedt
Finding the Courage to Communicate: The New York Newsboys Strike of 1899
Laurel Starr
Molly Hensley-Clancy
Brenna Kruse
Rachel Svanoe

Second Place
Louisville, KY, The Academy for Individual Excellence,
Spin Cycle: How the Media Communicated the Role of Women During the 1940s and 50s
Ayla Murrell
Sara Berge

Third Place
Nuevo, CA, Grace Prep, Irene Miles
Recognizing and Understanding Propaganda During WWII
Samantha Miles
Melanie Miles
Joe Bagdanov
Kelsey Hicks
Cassie Wyatt

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARY

First Place
Lower Gwynedd, PA, Gwynedd Mercy Academy, Mr. George Paull
George F. Kennan: The Key to Post-War Communist Containment
Alexandra Cox

Second Place
South Barrington, IL, Quest Academy,
DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN:The Infamous Mistake of the Chicago Tribune
Marissa Suchyta

Third Place
Woodway, TX
Any Bonds Today? The Story of the Office of War Information
Karl Lockhart

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL EXHIBIT

First Place
MA, North Attleborough Middle School, Andrew Mingo
Boston Committee of Correspondence
MaryLou Hedberg

Second Place
Bloomington, MN, Cyber Village Academy, Cherie Neima
Unlocking the Code: The Key to Understanding German Enigma Machine Secret Communications During WWII
Kelly Rexon

Third Place
Bakersfield, CA, Discovery Elementary School, Donn Castello
The Life of Harriet Tubman: Communicating Freedom and Equality
Emily Simon

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL PAPER

First Place
Plainsboro, NJ, Thomas R. Grover Middle School, Joan Ruddiman
The Great Communicator: How FDR's Radio Speeches Shaped American History
Lumeng Yu

Second Place
Anchorage, AK, Goldenview Middle School, Staci Hurff
Bound by Society: Communicating the Ideal Female Body
Annie Zager

Third Place
Panama City Beach, FL, Surfside Middle School, Ms. Kathy Easom
Communication In The Cuban Missile Crisis: Kennedy and Khrushchev - Pen Pals without a Hotline
Lauren Butherus

JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE

First Place
Lorena, TX, Lorena Middle School, Larry Havard
Deep Inside Enemy Lines
Whitney Gafford

Second Place
Allentown, PA, Springhouse Middle School, Christopher Gigler
Elie Wiesel Writes...So That We May Never Forget.
Steven Rosen

Third Place
Coupeville, WA, Coupeville Middle/High School, Wilbur Purdue
Army on the Homefront: Mobilizing Women Through the Communication of Propaganda
Maria Kidder

SENIOR GROUP DOCUMENTARY

First Place
New Kensington, PA, St. Joseph High School, Ms. Rosanne Pucciarelli
Please Adjust the Color
Julie Arvay
Brandon Keller
Patrick Pugliese

Second Place
Everson, WA, Ferndale High School, G. Hart
Roosevelt and the Rise of Radio: America Tunes Into Politics
Laura Parkinson
Amy Hancock

Third Place
Sequim, WA, Sequim High School, Tricia Billes
Communicating with the Past: Ozette Provides the Key to Makah Understanding
Rosalynd Billes
Jon Chrisman

SENIOR GROUP EXHIBIT

First Place
Honolulu, HI, Moanalua High School, Kevin Chatin
Dorothea Lange: Communicating Emotions of the Great Depression Through Photography
Melissa Ruan
Christine Nip
Megan Tomino

Second Place
Denver, CO, Denver School of the Arts, Ed Glassman
Communication Through The Lens: The Photography of Lewis Hine for the Children
Brigitte Siller
Norah Kissell

Third Place
Graham, WA, Bethel Senior High School, Jim Sawatzki
Radio Free Europe: The Key to Raising the Iron Curtain
Adam Bernstein
Leah Cate
Scott Funkhouser

SENIOR GROUP PERFORMANCE

First Place
Charlottesville, VA, Monticello High School, Madeline Michel
Oil, Arms, and Hostages: Communication Crisis Between the US and Iran
Paul Michel
Anna Caritj
Arthur Conley
Mona Hovaizi
Mohammad Rasool

Second Place
Bakersfield, CA, Liberty High School, Dan and Susan Peeler
The Model Protectorate: Occupied But Not Conquered
Tatum Holland
Matthew Heiss
Megan Heiss

Third Place
Houston, TX, Eisenhower High school, Debra Brown, Mari Glamser, Sandra El_Gamil, Carol Michael
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Kimberly Truong
Cathy Ngo
Christy Ngo
Alyssa Cantu
Roxanne Trujillo

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARY

First Place
Minneapolis, MN, South High School, Brian Fitzgerald
The Ripper Reformation: Communicating Fear, Social Understanding, and Political Reform
Dustin McEvoy

Second Place
Denver, CO, Denver School of the Arts, Ed Glassman
Servant to Civil Rights: Bayard Rustin
Ryan Brown

Third Place
Sequim, WA, Sequim High School, Todd Beuke
The Boldt Decision: To Fish In Common
Whitney Macaulay

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL EXHIBIT

First Place
Marshalltown, IA, Marshalltown High School,
The Iowa Bystander: Fighting for Equality in the Press
Sarah Frese

Second Place
FL, Gulf Breeze High School, Eric Miles
Visual Communications: WWII Posters On Florida's Homefront
Cheree Suttles

Third Place
Cheraw, SC, Cheraw High School, Gail Ingram
Strom Thurmond and the Dixiecrats: The South's Message Against the Liberalism of the National Democratic Party
Meagan Linton

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL PAPER

First Place
Marshalltown, IA, Marshalltown High School, Mr. Scott Johnson
Divided By a Common Language: The Babel Proclamation and its Impact in Iowa History
Stephen Frese

Second Place
Minneapolis, MN, Southwest High School, Robert Ferguson
President Carter's Communications at Camp David: The Key to Peace and Understanding between Israel and Egypt
Ari Resnick

Third Place
Chicago, IL, Theodore Roosevelt High School, Aggie Nowak
The Tree of Liberty Must Always Be Watered: HUAC and the Stamler-Hall Case in History
Aruj Chaudhry

SENIOR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE

First Place
Houston, TX, Eisenhower High School, Debra Brown, Mari Glamser, and Stephen Martin
Mayan Glyphs
History Channel Award - Best Senior Entry tied to an Historic Site
Abigail Ochoa

Second Place
Lake Oswego, OR, HomeSchool,
The Unintended Receiver
Keahi Horowitz

Third Place
Athens, OH, Cantino Homeschool, Heather Cantino
A Woman's Place is in the House: Bella Abzug, Leader and Communicator
Shaina Cantino


For a complete listing of all the finalists, click on the link for National History Day above.