Connecticut Students Earn Recognition at National History Day Contest
/Sixty students in grades 6-12 represented Connecticut at the prestigious 2024 National History Day® Contest at the University of Maryland earlier this month. The middle and high school students earned a spot on the Connecticut team by winning regional contests and then a statewide competition produced by The Connecticut Democracy Center.
Connecticut students were among 2,849 students from the U. S. and overseas who came together to compete in the 50th anniversary National History Day.
Several of the Connecticut team members received recognition during a live-streamed awards ceremony. Award recipients include:
First Place - Senior (High School) Group Documentary - “The Creation of Sesame Street: A Turning Point in Educational History” -Maura Armstrong and Teagan Dieterle of Ellington High School
Outstanding Connecticut Award Senior Division
Senior (High School) Individual Documentary - 10th Place in Category -“The Great Swamp Fight: The Battle That Transformed American History” - Aarush Kalia of South Windsor High School
Junior (Middle School) Individual Documentary - 8th Place -“William T.G. Morton's Ether Day: A Turning Point in Surgical Anesthesia” - Ishanvi Mohapatra of Timothy Edwards School, South Windsor
SPECIAL HONORS: Discovery or Exploration in History Special Prize
Junior (Middle School) Individual Website - 5th Place in Category - “Cogito Ergo Sum: Rene Descartes' Cartesian Revelation” -Aaron Aldrin of Timothy Edwards School, South Windsor
Emmet Smith, a 9th grader at Ellington High School represented Connecticut with his exhibit A Battle of Rights for the Incarcerated: The Legacy of the Attica Prison Riot at the National Museum of American History. The Museum hosted a daylong special exhibition that featured student projects from each of National History Day's affiliate programs.
"I’m so impressed with the hard work of our students and the dedication of Connecticut teachers," said Rebecca Taber, State Coordinator of Connecticut History Day. "Team CT conducted research into some fascinating topics and their thoughtful, historical interpretation and analysis is on full display. I'm proud of how well each of them represented our state."
The Connecticut Democracy Center oversees the Connecticut History Day affiliate which offers middle and high school students an opportunity to participate in the program in either the classroom, after-school clubs, enrichment programs, or as an independent project. Students spend six months exploring any type of history, from local to international and can work individually or in groups on topics of their own choosing.
Students must present projects in one of five categories – exhibits, documentaries, websites, papers, or performances and learn how to identify primary sources, conduct research, and write an historical argument and thesis statement.
Inspired by the national 2024 theme of Turning Points in History, students chose topics ranging from the Hartford Circus Fire to the Capitol Crawl Disability Protest of 1990 as well as scientific topics such as the Breaking of Enigma and the HeLa Cells legacy. Students explored local topics such as the Charter Oak to a national topic such as Harlem's Golden Age to world topics such as the Battle of Stalingrad.
During the week-long competition, Connecticut students presented their work to teams of volunteer judges, who reviewed entries, provided valuable feedback, and selected the top finishers. The students also participated in several activities, including a trip into Washington D.C. to visit the World War II Memorial with historian Alex Kershaw and a meeting with Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes, and Congressmen John Larson and Joe Courtney.
An affiliate program of National History Day, Connecticut History Day (CHD) is a Connecticut Democracy Center program in residence at Connecticut's Old State House. Support has been provided to CTDC through a partnership grant with Connecticut Humanities. Additional support is received from the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, the New Haven Museum and the Franklin Foundation.
For more information, visit www.historydayct.org .
