Craig Irish

SIX CALIFORNIA ENTRIES EARN TOP HONORS AT NATIONAL HISTORY DAY

MARYLAND – June 15, 2023 -- After months of intensive research and success at district, county, and state-level competitions, six California entries earned top honors at the National History Day Contest held at the University of Maryland College Park Campus in the Washington, D.C. area June 11-15.  In addition, ten California entries were named finalists, seven received honorable mention, two entries were named Outstanding In State, and one entry was selected for a special award.

More than 3,000 students from 50 states and 7 international affiliates participated in the contest. $150,000 in scholarships are awarded at the awards ceremony, and approximately 100 students took home cash prizes between $250 and $5,000 for superior work in a particular category of judging.

View contest photos here

Teacher Awards

Two California educators were nominated for the prestigious Patricia Behring National History Day Teacher of the Year Award, honoring teachers who engage History Day students in historical thinking through innovative teaching and active learning strategies. California nominees:

• Junior Division: Hector Gamboa, Orange County, Venado Middle School
• Senior Division: Michael Chatfield, Humboldt County, McKinleyville High School

National Contest - Team California Results

MEDALISTS
The following entries were recognized as overall 1^st - 3^rd place winners of NHD.

1^st Place – Senior Individual Performance:  Surabhi Khanna
Clovis North High School, Fresno County. Teacher – Sally Howe
Title - Deeds, Not Words: How Emmeline Pankhurst Expanded the Frontier of Women’s Rights

2^nd Place – Junior Individual Performance:  Ava George
Corona Fundamental Intermediate School, Riverside County. Teacher – Bandon Smith
Title - Virginia Hall: Crossing Gender Frontiers in Espionage and Intelligence

2^nd Place – Junior Individual Website:  Jacob Dinh
Venado Middle School, Orange County. Teachers – Hector Gamboa & John Beckman
Title - Artists and Activists: Jazz Musicians Leading the Civil Rights Movement

2^nd Place – Senior Individual Documentary:  Shea McGrath
Francis Parker School, San Diego County. Teachers – Mary Ong Dean & Joey Kurz
Title - Glen Canyon: Frontiers Opened, Paradise Flooded

2^nd Place – Senior Group Website:  Rachel Kim & Bernice Hung
Portola High School, Orange County. Teacher – Wind Ralston
Title - “There’s Blood on Those Grapes”: How the Delano Grape Strike Sprouted a Frontier for Working Conditions

3^rd Place – Senior Group Documentary: Ritieka Kumar & Moksha Kolli
Northwood High School Orange County. Teacher – Deanna Myers
Title - The Man Who United Two Frontiers: How Fritz Haber Killed Millions and Nourished Billions

CONTEST FINALIST
The following entries were 1^st in preliminary judging heats and advanced to final round judging.

4^th Place – Junior Individual Website:  Frankie Holland
Irvine Virtual Academy Middle School, Orange County. Teacher – Sandra Komara
Title - A Breath of Fresh Air: How California Became the Birthplace of Frontiers in Clean Air

4^th Place – Junior Group Exhibit:  Kellyn Chea, Haylee Pham & Chloe Rafanan
Temple Intermediate School, Los Angeles County. Teacher – Chuck Diep
Title - Home Invaders: Leveling Up the Gaming Frontier

4^th Place – Senior Individual Exhibit: Emily Shin
Centennial High School, Riverside County. Teacher – Michael Nugent
Title - Blood Transfusion: A lifesaving Frontier in History

5^th Place – Junior Group Website: Zixuan Cui, Yongjing Li & Isabelle Yang
Sierra Vista Middle School, Orange County. Teachers – Jonathan Millers & Lianne Linck
Title - Making the American Experience Visible: How Amy Tan’s Frontier Allowed Chinese-Americans Positive Representation in Western Media

5^th Place – Senior Group Exhibit: Kayla Fu, Sol Kwak, Philip Park, Sean Yu
Northwood High School, Orange County. Teacher – Deanna Myers
Title – Maps to Apps: How the NAVSTAR GPS Advanced Frontiers in Satellite Navigation

6^th Place – Junior Group Performance: Maryam Kayani, Hailey Woodruff, Ruth Rodrigues,
Isla Verde & Allison Williamson
Fruitvale Junior High School, Kern County. Teacher – Brenda Noel
Title - More Than A Girl Sniper: Lady Death

7^th Place – Senior Group Website: Bhargav Shriram & Logan King
American High School, Alameda County. Teacher – Shriram Krishnan
Title - “Hope Will Never Be Silent.” Harvey Milk's Crusade for LGBTQ+ Rights

7^th Place – Senior Historical Paper: Atishay Lalgudi
Evergreen Valley High School, Santa Clara County. Teacher – Geremy Goebel
Title - Portia of the Pacific: Clara Shortridge Foltz: and the Frontiers of Law

7^th Place – Senior Group Exhibit: Devyn Harrison & Sydney Reed
Polytechnic High School, Riverside County. Teacher – Leticia Hilton
Title - Shooting for the Stars: The New Frontier Created by Guion Bluford

9^th Place – Junior Individual Documentary: Mahima Wuppalapati
Beacon Park K-8 School, Orange County. Teacher – Jonathan Millers
Title - Germ Theory: How an Idea Revolutionized the Medical Field

9^th Place – Junior Group Exhibit: Anna Cao & Jennica Alixes
Sierra Vista Middle School, Orange County. Teachers – Millers Jonathan & Lianne Linck
Title - 123 Sesame Street: The Frontier of Childhood Growth

HONORABLE MENTION
Received 2^nd place in preliminary judging room.

Honorable Mention – Junior Historical Paper: Ishaan Kendale
Khan Lab School, Santa Clara County. Teachers – Kate Fiske & Derek Vanderpool
Title - The Land of Opportunity: How Indians Broke Frontiers and Became a Dominant Force in Silicon Valley

Honorable Mention – Junior Individual Documentary: Lauren Ho
Corona Fundamental Intermediate School, Riverside County. Teacher – Brandon Smith
Title - Penicillin: The Cure That Saved 3/4 Of Humanity -- And May Also Spell Its Doom

Honorable Mention – Junior Individual Performance: Matthew Parr
William Mendenhall Middle School, Alameda County. Teachers – Robbie See & Kevin Garcia
Title - The War of 1812: Frontiers of a Forgotten War

Honorable Mention – Junior Group Performance: Michelle Acosta‚ Arna Banerjee‚ Kaylee Kirk & Megan McGinthy
Alta Sierra Intermediate School, Fresno County. Teacher – Debbie Hodge
Title - The Women's Army Corps: How Females WACked Their Way Through an Age-Old Military and Gender Frontier

Honorable Mention – Junior Individual Exhibit: Julietta Hutt
Sierra Madre Middle School, Los Angeles County. Teacher – Lisabet Nepf
Title - Marie Tharp: Redefining “Girl Talk”

Honorable Mention – Junior Group Website: Ansh Gosain & Matthew Lee
Sierra Vista Middle School, Orange County. Teachers – Millers Jonathan & Lianne Linck
Title - Negotiating Identity at the Frontier: The Role of the Carlisle School in Cultural Assimilation

Honorable Mention – Senior Historical Paper: Carey Chang
San Francisco University High School, San Francisco County. Teacher – Jennifer Lee
Title - Mary Scranton and Ewha School: A Frontier of Western Protestant Missionaries and Korean Women’s Education

ASIAN AMERICAN SPECIAL AWARD

Junior Group Website: Zixuan Cui, Yongjing Li & Isabelle Yang
Sierra Vista Middle School, Orange County. Teachers – Jonathan Millers & Lianne Linck
Title - Making the American Experience Visible: How Amy Tan’s Frontier Allowed Chinese-Americans Positive Representation in Western Media

OUTSTANDING IN STATE

Outstanding in State Senior Division – Senior Group Performance
Sushant Bhopale & Supriti Bhopale
Carlmont High School, San Mateo County. Teacher – Suvarna Bhopale
Title - Not Quite White: Pioneer Thind Navigates Racism in the Immigration Frontier

Outstanding in State Junior Division – Junior Group Website
Zixuan Cui, Yongjing Li & Isabelle Yang
Sierra Vista Middle School, Orange County. Teachers - Jonathan Millers & Lianne Linck
Title - Making the American Experience Visible: How Amy Tan’s Frontier Allowed Chinese-Americans Positive Representation in Western Media