Maryland Student Wins Gold in National History Competition

A Maryland student, Howard County’s Addie Skillman, won the gold medal in her category at National History Day, held June 9 –13, 2019 at University of Maryland in College Park. Sixteen other Maryland students received Special Prizes, were awarded Outstanding State Entry, or were selected as a Finalist. A total of 62 students from Maryland competed at this year’s national competition.

The National History Day competition involves more than 3,000 students in the final stage. Over a half-million students participate at the school, district, state, and national levels. Competitors traveled to College Park from all 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and international schools in China, Korea, and South Asia.

All Maryland participants at National History Day won first or second place at the Maryland History Day competition, a culmination of the year-long Maryland History Day program presented by Maryland Humanities. For Maryland History Day, an affiliate of National History Day, students create original documentary films, exhibits, performances, research papers, or websites exploring a historical topic of their choice on an annual theme.

Skillman, who attends Elkridge Landing Middle School, won the gold medal for Junior Individual Performance for her project on Loving v. Virginia. The following students received other honors: Charlotte Moss of Anne Arundel County; Katherine Giroux of Baltimore City; Anna Ims, Ashleigh Lourcey, and Zari Archer of Calvert County; Levi Peterson of Frederick County; Hannah Chan, Phoebe Chan, Ellie Hasegawa, Serena Goyal, and Joseph Heitzmann of Howard County; and Aidan Goldenberg-Hart, Daniel Greigg, Joey Huang, Eli Protas, and Charles Shi of Montgomery County.

Maryland Honorees at National History Day

Anne Arundel County

FINALIST

Student: Charlotte Moss
Category: Senior Individual Website
Topic: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study: Tragedy Creating Triumph in United States Medical Ethics
School: Glen Burnie High School
Teacher: Carol Young

Baltimore City

SELECTED TO SCREEN AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE

Student: Katherine Giroux
Category: Senior Individual Documentary
Topic: Death, Disease, and Discrimination: The Building of the Panama Canal
School: The Bryn Mawr School
Teacher: Matthew Hetrick

Calvert County

SELECTED TO DISPLAY AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY

Students: Anna Ims, Ashleigh Lourcey, and Zari Archer
Category: Junior Group Exhibit
Topic: The Horrors of Blackwell’s Island
School: Plum Point Middle School
Teacher: Adam Muffley

Frederick County

OUTSTANDING STATE ENTRY AWARD – JUNIOR DIVISION and FINALIST

Student: Levi Peterson
Category: Junior Individual Documentary
Topic: Triumph over Tragedy: Rwandan Reconciliation Post Genocide
School: Frederick Homeschoolers
Teacher: Christine Pritt

Howard County

GOLD MEDAL (FIRST PLACE)
Student: Addie Skillman
Category: Junior Individual Performance
Topic: Loving v. Virginia: The Stepping Stone for Equality in America
School: Elkridge Landing Middle School
Teacher: William Pearl

CHRONICLING AMERICA: HISTORIC AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS PRIZE, OUTSTANDING STATE ENTRY – SENIOR DIVISION, and FINALISTS

Students: Hannah Chan, Phoebe Chan, and Joseph Heitzmann
Category: Senior Group Performance
Topic: Caged But Not Defeated: The Triumphant Spirit of the Angels of Bataan
School: River Hill High School
Teacher: Sarah Tokar

FINALISTS

Students: Ellie Hasegawa and Serena Goyal
Category: Junior Group Documentary
Topic: Challenger Explosion: 73 Seconds Reforming the Way Americans View Space
School: Lime Kiln Middle School
Teachers: Tracy Ganey and Tracy Spillman

Montgomery County

FINALISTS

Students: Aidan Goldenberg-Hart, Daniel Greigg, Joey Huang, Eli Protas, and Charles Shi
Category: Senior Group Documentary
Topic: Last Dance at the Cocoanut Grove
Schools: Richard Montgomery High School, Montgomery Blair High School, and Winston Churchill High School
Teachers: Michael Arenas, Marc Grossman, and Christopher For