Columbia High School Freshman Competes in National History Day

Columbia High School freshman Abigail Baker will go to school on Friday and to college on Saturday. At William Paterson University, Baker will join other students from around the state to present their National History Day projects. Baker's project, along with others on display, was chosen to represent the Central district of New Jersey. Her project, along with others, will be judged; the best in each category will compete nationally in June.

National History Day is a nation-wide competition for students in middle and high school. Within each division, students can choose to complete a website, visual display, performance, or research paper. Students compete individually or in small groups. Each project must relate its research to the annual theme. For 2012, student projects will reflect "Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History." According to the organizers, "The intentional selection of the theme for National History Day is to provide an opportunity for students to push past the antiquated view of history as mere facts and dates and drill down into historical content to develop perspective and understanding."

Baker's project is entitled "Radium Girls," a topic she heard of from her history teacher. The Radium Girls were young women who suffered radium poisoning from their work painting watch dials with glow-in-the-dark paint. The project follows their court case and its resolution.

"I chose this project because it's local and it actually has a lot of importance in terms of current work safety laws," explains Baker. The radium factory was in nearby Orange NJ. Baker was able to visit and photograph the site, as well as surrounding factories.

The competition asks students to delve into research using many primary sources. Baker's website project relied heavily on the clippings file at the Orange Public Library as well as on New York Times articles from a century ago. However, she found information about the company owner in the Millburn-Short Hills Item, as well.

"I chose to make a website because I like the computer and website design," she said. "It's a good way to combine video and writing.  I did research by reading newspaper articles from the time period and by going to the site."

"I'm looking forward to seeing other people's projects on Saturday," says Baker. "I learned about the Radium Girls and their impact, and I learned how important work safety laws are."

The website will be available to the public after the competition.