National History Day Wrap Up



Last week, 55 Ohio students with 32 projects competed at National History Day at the University of Maryland in College Park. This week was a culmination of a year's worth of research, discovery, and analysis for these students. This year's theme was "The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies" and the Ohio projects ranged from papers on Christopher Wren's architecture in London to a documentary on Mayor Tom Johnson's progressive reforms in Cleveland. I am very proud of all the Ohio students. They represented our state well, both in their actions and their scholarship.

Out of the 32 projects, 6 projects placed in the top 15 in the country.

12th Place: Junior Paper by Rachel Clarke from Clarke Home school titled: "Thomas Edison: Dimming the Lights of a Nation." Rachel also received the Outstanding State Entry prize in the Junior Division for Ohio.
11th Place: Senior Group Documentary by Gabe Gordon and Kayla Pincus titled: "Introducing American to Americans: Roy Stryker and the FSA Photographs." Gabe and Kayla are from Shaker Heights High School.
9th Place: Senior Group Exhibit by Ilana Polster and Michelle Scarfstein titled: "Kim Phuc: The Pain that Seared American." Ilana and Michelle are from Shaker Heights High School.
8th Place: Senior Paper by Emily Nosse-Leirer titled: "Tomorrow Will Be a Great Struggle." Emily is from Shaker Heights High School.
6th Place: Senior Individual Exhibit by Heidi Reis titled: "Her Cry for Nature: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the Rise of the Environmental Movement." Heidi also received the Outstanding State Entry prize in the Senior Division for Ohio and is from Shaker Heights High School.
3rd Place- Bronze Medal Winners: Senior Web Site by Anirudh Jayanti and Ayush Sood titled: "Simon Wiesenthal: One Man's Search for Justice." This is the second year Anirudh and Ayush attending NHD with a web site.


Also an Ohio student won a special prize:
Outstanding Entry on the History of the Federal Government: Danielle Swales for her Senior Individual Documentary "Harry Hopkins: Social Revolutionary of the Great Depression as Seen Through the WPA." Danielle is from Shaker Heights High School


We had one very special prize. Harper Sutherland from Shaker Heights won a $20,000 scholarship to the University of Minnesota. This is Harper's second year at NHD and this year she was part of a Senior Group Performance that she created with her partner Robin Meiksins titled: "Larger Than Any of Us Alone: A Story of Norwegian Resistance." This was especially exciting for the Ohio group to see one of our own win one of the biggest prizes of the ceremony.