Emmaus High Takes Second in State ‘History Day’ Contest

An student’s knowledge of Japanese history and website development and the ability to pull the two disparate areas of expertise together have earned her a trip to the nation’s capital in June.

Caroline Smith was one of 16 EHS students to take part in the state-level History Day competition on May 4 and 5, at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg.

Smith’s website, which focuses on “The Meiji Restoration,” took second place in Mechanicsburg, meaning that she has qualified for the National History Day Competition that will be held this June in Washington, D.C.

The theme of this year’s competition is “Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History.” According to the National History Day competition website, about a half million students participate in the annual History Day contest each year. Students are directed to pick a historical topic related to the contest theme and then explore that topic through primary and secondary research. Ultimately the student will present the topic in one of five ways: as a paper, an exhibit, a performance, a documentary, or a website.

The following EHS students participated in the contest. The type of piece entered and its title follows the student’s name.

• Robby Haag (individual performance): "The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell and Its Impact on Aviation"
• Lily Draklellis and Meghan Bodenstein (group performance): "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"
• Caroline Smith (individual website): "The Meiji Restoration" Second Place
• Morgan Patterson (historical paper): "Jackie Robinson: Breaking the Color Barrier"
• John Dudley, Daniel Intriago, and Rushbah Kamdar (group documentary): "Curt Flood: A Revolution for Free Agency"
• Daniel Amankwatia and Ryan Bilger (group documentary): "Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History: The Boer War"
• Rachel Choi, Lucy Lin, and Ellen Park (group website): "Dorthea Dix: The Asylum Reform"
• Annie Tsai, Amy Yang, and Justine Wang (group website): "Germ Theory: Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in Medicine"