DURHAM — Superintendent James Morse is pleased to share that more than a dozen Oyster River High School students were recognized for their submissions to the annual National History Day statewide competition, and 11 of those students will now represent New Hampshire in a national competition.
National History Day is a nonprofit educational organization that offers programming to encourage students to engage in history projects, and hosts a national competition annually for students that succeed in local and statewide competitions. Students can submit projects including research papers, documentaries, websites, exhibits, and performances.
The theme of this year’s competition is debate and diplomacy.
This years statewide competition in New Hampshire was held on April 2. Fourteen Oyster River High School students were recognized for their work on nine projects.
Projects that earned first- and second-place honors will compete in the nationwide competition, which will be held virtually from June 12-18. Oyster River High School will have 11 students and six projects participating in the national contest.
Social Studies teachers Gabrielle Anderson and Derek Cangello provided guidance and support to students as they prepared their projects.
This year is the third consecutive year that Oyster River High School students have been recognized in the competition and had their work included in the national competition.
“Students took these projects very seriously and conducted thorough research into topics that interested them,” said Cangello. “All of the students who took part in this competition learned and grew as a result of their hard work, and all of them should be very proud.”
The following students and projects were recognized in the New Hampshire statewide competition. Those who won first- and second-place honors will now move on to nationals.
- James Oshima, Grade 10, from Madbury, won first place for a performance titled “How Beaumarchais Saved the American Revolution.” To view the performance, click here.
- Camden Tucker, Grade 10 from Lee, Michael Mazza, Grade 10 from Madbury, and Cam Minor, Grade 10 from Lee, won first place for a group website about the Vietnam Draft. To view the website, click here.
- Abby Owens, Grade 10 from Barrington, and Hazel Stasko, Grade 10 from Durham, won first place for a documentary titled “Motherhood is a Political Act” that examined justifications for the sterilization of Latina woman in Los Angeles during the 1970s and compared it to justifications for the Eugenics movement. To view the documentary, click here.
- Lucas Savage, Grade 10 from Lee, and Delany Nadeau, Grade 10 from Lee, won second place for a group documentary about the Gay Students Organization of the University of New Hampshire. To view the documentary, click here.
- Mia Boyd, Grade 10 from Durham, and Siri Ventrapragada, Grade 10 from Lee, won second place for a group exhibit titled “How Political Affairs Influenced Debate Over Representation in Entertainment.”
- Maya Grainger, Grade 10 from Durham, won second place for a website focused on D-Day. To view the website, click here.
- Kiera Johnson, Grade 10 from Lee, won third place for an exhibit titled “How Abortion Evolved with the U.S.” To view a slideshow of the exhibit, click here.
- Moly Schmidt, Grade 10 from Durham, won third place for a website on Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare of the 1950s. To view the website, click here.
- Marlise Hyde, Grade 10 from Durham, won fourth place for a paper titled “Loosing Lies: The Debate around Corsetry.” To read the paper, click here.
“I continue to be incredibly impressed by the talents and abilities of the Oyster River High School students who have made this event into an annual success story that highlights the quality of education we provide, as well as the dedication and commitment of our students to learning important material,” said Superintendent Morse. “These students have all distinguished themselves and our school, and I wish them luck as their projects move on to national competition.”
To learn more about National History Day, click here.