8 HCPSS Students Advance To Virtual National History Day Contest

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — After winning first or second place at the recently held virtual Maryland History Day competition, eight Howard County Public School System students will advance to the virtual National History Day competition planned for June 13-17. Four HCPSS students were honored with special awards at the state contest, too. These students have already won competitions at the school and county level, and were competing against hundreds of students from school systems across the state.

HCPSS students presented entries in one of five categories: exhibit, performance, multimedia documentary, research paper and website. The process started at the beginning of the school year as students conducted historical research on a self-selected topic that related to this year’s National History Day theme of "communication in history." The students will be recognized at the May 27 HCPSS board of education meeting.

HCPSS Students Advancing to National History Day:

Junior Group Exhibit

• Unlocking Women’s Political Potential: How Female Voices Communicated for Prohibition and Repeal
• Violet Kucler and Wren Kucler
• Burleigh Manor Middle School

Junior Group Website

• Technological Communication During WWI
• Sebastien Spencer and Samuel Yoon
• Folly Quarter Middle School

Teacher: Vincente D’Antuono

Senior Group Exhibit

• The Attica Prison Riot of 1971: Truth from Behind the Bars
• Anna Chalupa, Gitanjali Raghava
• Howard High School

Teacher: Mary Saha

Senior Group Website

• The Music of Dmitri Shostakovich: Communication Under Soviet Suppression
• Allison Faith Comising, Joshua Strohmayer
• Reservoir High School

Teacher: Jan Edlowitz

Special Prizes

Senator Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. Award for Excellence in Government History

Naturalization Act of 1906: Written Communication over the Naturalization of Immigrants
Category: Junior Group Exhibit
Cate Lee, Pat Steil
Clarksville Middle School
Teacher: Margaret Brothman

Award for Excellence in Civic Action and Engagement, sponsored by the Maryland Council for Social Studies

How Jacob Riis Illuminated the Nation’s Darkest Corners
Category: Senior Individual Documentary
Nadia Ghaicepour
Marriotts Ridge High School
Teacher: Lynn Rashid

The Barry A. Lanman Award for Oral History, sponsored by Barry Lanman

Communication During the Southern Freedom Movement: Through the Eyes of Ruby Sales
Category: Junior Individual Website
Ariella Schulterbrandt
Clarksville Middle School
Teacher: Margaret Brothman