Eesha T., Alaina D., Maria M., and Abbey Z. (Abbey Z./Staff)

National History Day (NHD) is an annual contest for students to research a historical event under a given theme and to create a project about it. Project options include documentaries, exhibits, performances, papers, and websites, either individually or collaboratively. In addition, each person writes a process paper about their chosen topic and an annotated bibliography to keep track of their sources. This year’s theme was Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas. 

NHD club, led by Mircea B. and Abbey Z., sent seven individuals to the regional competition on March 22, and they all advanced to the state level. Mircea B., Alaina D., Lance H., Maria M., Ella T., Eesha T., and Abbey Z. traveled to Ohio Wesleyan on April 22 to present their projects with over 400 others from across Ohio.

Six judges per category used an evaluation sheet and interviewed contestants about their projects, determining the final rankings based on both components.

Congratulations to Abbey Z. for third place on her website, “The Chinese Exclusion Act: A Reckoning in American Immigration Policy.” Alaina D., Ella T., and Eesha T. received an honorable mention for their website, “Founding Freedom in the Graveyard of Empires,” about women’s rights in Afghanistan.

After spending over 30 hours on her project, Abbey Z. says, “NHD takes a lot of work, but it pays off in the end. The past two years of NHD were virtual, so being in person was a great experience, and I’m glad that everyone qualified for states!”

If this contest interests you, visit the NHD Website for information about next year.