On Sunday, April 2, 13 groups of Needham High School students competed in the National History Day (NHD) States Competition, among which 3 groups qualified for the NHD Nationals Competition.
Each year, Needham High School sophomores participate in NHD, a nationwide history competition in which students focus on presenting historical information on a specific topic. As the 2017 NHD topic was “Taking a Stand in History,” students this year researched projects on historical figures who had taken firm positions on issue in the past. NHS students presented their projects through a variety of different categories, including websites, documentaries, performances, and exhibits.
Twenty-one groups of NHD projects were chosen in the initial school judging round to represent the high school in the Greater Boston Regionals competition. In the Regionals level contest, held on March 4, a record 13 groups of students advanced to the Massachusetts States NHD Competition. These 13 groups of students then travelled to Stoneham High School on Sunday, where they presented their work to States level judges. At the States Comeptition, Ethan Lee placed first in the individual website category for his website on “The Sullivan Principles,” Erin Payne placed second in the individual website category for her project on “The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo,” and Olivia Blackmer placed first in the individual performance category for her performance, “Bread and Roses,” all earning their bids to the NHD Nationals Competition.
Honorable Mentions were also received by Chidinma Nwodo for her individual website, Christina Steinberg for her individual documentary, Tyler Osborne, Ryan Weitzel, and Nicole Malouf for their group website, Nina Yee and Kate Gutilla for their group website, and Greg Ward, Sydney Fallon, and Isabel Dirks for their group performance.
Lee, Payne, and Blackmer will be heading to the University of Maryland from June 11 to June 15 to compete in the NHD Nationals Competition with 3,000 other entries from various schools around the world. For more information on the National History Day competition, visit www.nhd.org.
