Sedgwick Middle School's Sam Porcello Wins Junior Prize in National History Day Competition

Connecticut Students Compete to Win in the National History Day Competition

Hartford — Close to 60 Connecticut students participated in the prestigious National History Day (NHD) competition, held at the University of Maryland College Park Campus in the Washington, D.C. area June 12-16. The students, in grades 6-12, had previously won top honors at the Connecticut State Contest on April 30^th.

Connecticut students presented their projects to a panel of judges, met students from across the country, and had a fabulous time! During the week, a group of students, parents, and teachers visited Washington DC. They met with Congressman Joseph Courtney and enjoyed tours of the Library of Congress, the Capitol, and the National Museum of American History. 

Adam Grace, received the Junior Prize for Outstanding Entry on Colonial or Revolutionary History, a prize sponsored by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He won for his paper, Origins of Freedom: The Debate Over the Constitution Revolutionized the Concept of Freedom for America in the World. Adam is a student at Captain Nathan Hale Middle School in Coventry. 

Sam Porcello won the Junior Prize for Outstanding Connecticut Entry for his exhibit The Black Hills Debate: Land Grab or Diplomacy?. Sam attends Sedgwick Middle School in West Hartford. 

Sophie Dillon and Allesandra Hogan received the Senior Prize for Outstanding Connecticut Entry for their documentary, The Facts are Irrelevant: The New Haven Nine Puts Justice on Trial. They are students at Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven.

Killingworth students, Tabitha and Rebekah Bell, had their exhibit about State Heroine, Prudence Crandall, A Law Just for Prudence, displayed at the National Museum of American History along with 52 other exhibits from the NHD state and affiliate programs. The projects were displayed to the public throughout June 15^th, with a culminating evening reception for thousands of parents, students, and friends.  

“We are incredibly proud of our students for all of the time and effort they put into their projects,” reflected State Coordinator, Rebecca Taber-Conover. “These students have not only deepened their understanding of their chosen topics, but also been energized by learning. This program is truly life-changing for participants.”

The Connecticut middle and high school students who participated in the National History Day competition each developed entries based on this year’s theme: Debate & Diplomacy: Successes, Failures, Consequences. Entries included a website on the Cuban Missile Crisis; a performance on the treaty that ended World War I, the Treaty of Versailles; and a documentary on the 1980 American boycott of the Moscow Olympics.  Many of these entries will be displayed throughout the summer as part of the “Highlight History Day” exhibit at Connecticut’s Old State House. Visit www.ctoldstatehouse.org for more information.

NHD is a year-long academic organization for elementary and secondary school students focused on the teaching and learning of history. A recent study by Rockman, et al found students who participate in NHD develop a range of college and career-ready skills, and outperform their peers on state standardized tests in multiple subjects, including reading, science, math and social studies. 

History Day in Connecticut is co-sponsored by Connecticut’s Old State House and the Connecticut Historical Society, with support provided by the Connecticut Humanities Council.  Each year, approximately 1,000 Connecticut students participate in the program. For more information, become of friend of History Day in Connecticut, or visit ct.nhd.org.

About National History Day

National History Day (NHD) is a year-long academic organization for elementary and secondary school students. Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of teachers nationwide participate in the NHD contest. Students choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive primary and secondary research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews and historic sites. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, students present their work in original papers, websites, exhibits, performances and documentaries. These products are entered into competitions in the spring, at local, state and national levels where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. The program culminates in a national competition each June held at the University of Maryland at College Park. Visit www.nhd.org.