College Park, MD—National History Day® (NHD), the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, and the Smithsonian Learning Lab are pleased to announce an online showcase of 53 exhibits. The exhibits were designed by middle and high school students competing in the 2022 NHD National Contest. This year’s showcase is available for view from Monday, June 13 until Monday, June 27.
Many of the NHD students whose projects were selected for this showcase by NHD affiliate coordinators addressed topics relevant to their own states’ or local communities’ histories. These exhibits also reflect the 2022 NHD theme, Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences.
“During the last two years, we have all seen the dedication and perseverance of students who have adapted to extreme circumstances,” shares Executive Director Cathy Gorn. “Yet, we are heartened to see that they continue to excel and innovate, learning about the past through deep research and expressing their arguments in such meaningful ways. We are also very grateful that our partner, the National Museum of American History, has shared their time and resources to showcase the stellar work of these history students.”
The 51 exhibits will be available to view online for two weeks, exclusively on the Smithsonian Learning Lab, from Monday, June 13 through Monday, June 27 and will receive feedback and support from NMAH experts.
The following exhibits and students have been selected for this showcase:
Title: Annexation of Hawaii: Hanging up the Crown
Student(s): Lilly Phillips, Wetherly Ridley
Teacher(s): Brandi Waldheim
School (City, State): St. Luke School, (Columbus, Georgia)
Title: ANO or A-NO? Controversy at the Core of Arkansas Nuclear One
Student(s): Veeren Donda, Vicky Liu, Sarah Shoptaw
Teacher(s): Aimee Mimms
School (City, State): Russellville Junior High School (Rusellville, Arkansas)
Title: The Aroostook War
Student(s): Carmen Crockett
Teacher(s): Linda Andrews
School (City, State): Buckfield Junior/Senior High School (Buckfield, Maine)
Title: Beyond Backing the Attack: WAC Participation in WWII
Student(s): Emma Esposito
Teacher(s): Naomi Barlaz
School (City, State): Cary Academy (Cary, North Carolina)
Title: Chief Standing Bear: The Ground Breaking Debate for Native American Rights
Student(s): Lauren Buban
Teacher(s): Shelby Sedlacek
School (City, State): Westside High School (Omaha, Nebraska)
Title: The Compromise of 1877
Student(s): John Maynard, Joshua Maynard
Teacher(s): Sharon Franco, Thalia Wood
School (City, State): Toll Gate High School (Warwick, Rhode Island)
Title: The Debatable Trent Affair: How Strategic Diplomacy Prevented War
Student(s): McKenzie Rose
Teacher(s): Brandlyn Russell
School (City, State): Echo School (Echo, Oregon)
Title: Debate and Diplomacy: Perspectives on the Annexation of the Republic of Texas
Student(s): Liceth Meza
Teacher(s): Lisa Mouton
School (City, State): Bryan Collegiate High School (Bryan, Texas)
Title: Debate and Diplomacy: The Acquisition and Creation of the Panama Canal
Student(s): Myles Daugherty, Nic Sheppard
Teacher(s): Julie Sheppard
School (City, State): South Haven High School (South Haven, Michigan)
Title: Debate and Diplomacy: The Fight for 504
Student(s): Joshua Lipman, Isabella Rios
Teacher(s): Wendy Hurwtiz-Kushner
School (City, State): John P. Stevens High School (Edison, New Jersey)
Title: Debating Equality
Student(s): Emma Hoffman
Teacher(s): Penny Heath
School (City, State): Canton Public Schools (Canton, Oklahoma
Title: Debating Primary Elections: Robert M. La Follette’s Fight Against Government Corruption
Student(s): Anna Siebers
Teacher(s): Bradley Harris
School (City, State): Madison West High School (Madison, Wisconsin)
Title: The Delicate Fall of the Berlin Wall
Student(s): Wyatt Griffin
Teacher(s): Rose M. Robertson
School (City, State): Pinedale High School (Pinedale, Wyoming)
Title: A Diamond in the RUF: Debating Human Rights in Sierra Leone
Student(s): Janet Trujillo
Teacher(s): Kelly Cvanciger
School (City, State): Bear Creek High School (Lakewood, Colorado)
Title: Die for a Tie: The Korean Battle Founded Upon Inefficient Debate and Diplomacy
Student(s): Jacob Green
Teacher(s): Erin Taylor
School (City, State): Ouachita Parish High School (Monroe, Louisiana)
Title: Duck Diplomacy: How Walt Disney Saved FDR’s Good Neighbor Policy
Student(s): Joseph Cook
Teacher(s): Lorraine Dooley
School (City, State): Norwich Free Academy (Norwich, Connecticut)
Title: “Equality is But a Word”: La Raza Unida’s Successful Organization of the Hispanic Community to Advocate for Their Rights
Student(s): Kaylei Malone, Haylin Ownby
Teacher(s): Rebecca Byrd
School (City, State): Sevier County High School (Sevierville, Tennessee)
Title: Exposing the Dirty War: Hidden Secrets and Controversies
Student(s): Dae-Kyung Kim, Neha Marthala, Mark Zheng
Teacher(s): Andrew Estes
School (City, State): BASIS Peoria (Peoria, Arizona)
Title: Falsely Interned: Evaluating the Decision to Intern Japanese Americans during WWII
Student(s): Vivi Dowler, Sophia Romrell
Teacher(s): James Romrell
School (City, State): Lakeridge Junior High School (Orem, Utah)
Title: The Feminine Mystique
Student(s): Clara Macher, Alexandra Martínez-Schott
Teacher(s): Andrew (AD) Grover
School (City, State): Rose L. Hardy Middle School (Washington, D.C.)
Title: The Fight for Forest Preserves: The Tale of Busse Woods Creation
Student(s): Slokha Anandula, Nidhi Karekar, Emily Zmyslowski
Teacher(s): Megan Tamulis
School (City, State): Margaret Mead Junior High School (Elk Grove Village, Illinois)
Title: Forming New Frontiers in Seattle: The Debate for Fair Employment in Boeing from 1935-1949
Student(s): Benjamin Moskalensky, Connor O’Rourke, Alec Rothkowitz, David Soto
Teacher(s): Andrew Ivy
School (City, State): Tesla STEM High School (Redmond, Washington)
Title: The Great Debates of 1858
Student(s): Heba Aziz
Teacher(s): Sonja Czarnecki
School (City, State): Bishop Seabury Academy (Lawrence, Kansas)
Title: Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Atomic Debate and Diplomacy
Student(s): Anna Jin, Chea-Ler Tan
Teacher(s):Charlie Potter
School (City, State): Concordia International School Shanghai (Shanghai, China)
Title: An Investigative Examination of Freedom of the Press: The Debate between the Press and the Federal Government in New York Times v. United States
Student(s): Samantha Almonte, Marion Hausmann, Stefanny Lopes, Carrie Zheng
Teacher(s): Christine Abajian
School (City, State): George W. Hewlett High School (Hewlett, New York)
Title: Jane Goodall’s Legacy
Student(s): Pirada Anderson, Audrey Fox
Teacher(s): Heather Damario
School (City, State): West Valley High School (Fairbanks, Alaska)
Title: Japanese Internment: Justified by National Security?
Student(s): Cate McDonald
Teacher(s): Karen Gingrich
School (City, State): Belmont High School (Belmont, New Hampshire)
Title: The Jazz Ambassadors
Student(s): Kacey Taylor
Teacher(s): Kristen Edgington, Christine Hull
School (City, State): Reno High School (Reno, Nevada)
Title:Scopes Monkey Trial: The Continuing Debate Over What Is Taught As Truth
Student(s): Nevada Williams
Teacher(s): Michael Hoehn
School (City, State): Christian Community School (Grafton, Ohio)
Title: La Huelga: The Struggle That Earned Farm Workers Rights
Student(s): Yessenia Alvarez Zamora, Leticia Herrera
Teacher(s): Susan Fritzell
School (City, State): Marshalltown High School (Marshalltown, Iowa)
Title: Lopez v. Seccombe: The Forgotten History of San Bernardino’s Landmark Case
Student(s): Christina Godinez, Christian Gonzalez, Steven Guevara
Teacher(s): Jeni Boulanger
School (City, State): Oak Hills High School (Oak Hills, California)
Title: Loving v. Virginia: A Case that Decided Love for All
Student(s): Sydney Cameron
Teacher(s): Nicole Winter
School (City, State): Cosby High School (Midlothian, Virginia)
Title: The Lowell Mill Strike of 1836
Student(s): Aideen Milligan, Claire Smith
Teacher(s): Kenneth Brooke
School (City, State): Needham High School (Needham, Massachusetts)
Title: Martin Luther and the 95 Theses
Student(s): Julia Hammel, Madelyn Hill
Teacher(s): Kristin Rentschler
School (City, State): Columbia City High School (Columbia City, Indiana)
Title: Murder or Infidelity: The Case of the Boorn Brothers
Student(s): Emma Kirdzik, Mackenzie Martin
Teacher(s): Suzette Chivers
School (City, State): Green Mountain Union High School (Chester, Vermont)
Title: Navigating the Choke Point: The Art of Statecraft
Student(s): Haylie Jeanette Tuiasosopo
Teacher(s): Christian Sa’alea
School (City, State): Tafuna High School (Pago Pago, American Samoa)
Title: The Newsboy Strike: Fighting for a Diplomatic Compromise
Student(s): Kiley Thomas, Rebekah Thurston
Teacher(s): Paula Hawk
School (City, State): Odessa Middle School (Odessa, Missouri)
Title: The Ocoee Massacre
Student(s): Brooklyn Bentley, Brooke Boutwell
Teacher(s): Stephanie Mainer
School (City, State): Hobbs Middle School (Milton, Florida)
Title: One Nation Under God? A Righteous Debate Setting Religious Boundaries In Public Schools
Student(s): Rebecca Duelley, Leanna French
Teacher(s): Cameron Lentz, Sarah Bell
School (City, State): Ten Oaks Middle School (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina)
Title: “Peace with Honor”: How the Paris Peace Accords Failed Vietnam
Student(s): Genevieve Mobley, Samantha Reese
Teacher(s): Colton Costa
School (City, State): Hampton Cove Middle School (Huntsville, Alabama)
Title: The Potsdam Conference
Student(s): Victoria Hecker, Lucas Ward
Teacher(s): Mitchell Meier
School (City, State): Dickinson Middle School (Dickinson, North Dakota)
Title: Raising the Iron Curtain- Samantha Smith: America’s Youngest Peace Ambassador
Student(s): Luke DiBonaventura, Luci DiBonaventura, Ella DiBonaventura
Teacher(s): Tom Babcock
School (City, State): Strath Haven High School (Swarthmore, Pennsylvania)
Title: The Spanish Civil War
Student(s): Maria Gimenez-Tena
Teacher(s): Janelle Gilson
School (City, State): Renaissance High School (Meridian, Idaho)
Title: The Seneca Falls Convention: How the “Ludicrous” Women Sparked a Worldwide Debate
Student(s): Hannah Lee-Pantall, Daeun Chung, Hyerin Shin, Eunseol Kim, Chihun An
Teacher(s): Daniel Shileny
School (City, State): Korea International School, Jeju Campus (Seogwipo-si, South Korea)
Title: Spy…Exchange
Student(s): Libby Day
Teacher(s): Jeremy Freeman
School (City, State):Chiang Mai International School (Chaing Mai, Thailand)
Title: There Were No Clouds: Debating the Church Rock Uranium Spill
Student(s): Clara Morgan
Teacher(s): Amy Page
School (City, State): Moriarty High School (Moriarty, New Mexico)
Title: “Too Strong for a Woman”: How Bernice Sandler Sparked Title IX
Student(s): Simrah Khan, Charlotte Tettelin
Teacher(s): Geordie Paulus
School (City, State): Burleigh Manor Middle School (Ellicott City, Maryland)
Title: Treaty of Versailles: Temporary Success or Diplomatic Disaster
Student(s): Matthew Addy
Teacher(s): Marisa Atkinson
School (City, State): Lafayette High School (Oxford, Mississippi)
Title: The Vietnam War: How the Debate around Drug Abuse in the Military Lives On
Student(s):Abigail Dorrell, Edris Kalibala, Samira Morgan
Teacher(s): Heather Hingston
School (City, State): Newark Charter High School (Newark, Delaware)
Title: Who Gets Windward Water?
Student(s): Sabine Caruso
Teacher(s): Rochelle Tavares
School (City, State): Governor Samuel Wilder King Intermediate School (Kaneohe, Hawaiʻi)
Title: Who Owns The Black Hills
Student(s):Mollie Kruse
Teacher(s): Danyelle Cleveland
School (City, State): Ben Reifel Middle School (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
Title: Women in the Workforce During WWII
Student(s): Amelia Hagan
Teacher(s): Ayla Murrell
School (City, State): Academy of Individual Excellence (Louisville, Kentucky)
Title: Using Diplomacy to Save Lives Worldwide: The Duluth Model
Student(s): Grace Beaster, Martyn Dahl
Teacher(s): Catherine Nachbar
School (City, State): Duluth East High School (Duluth, Minnesota)
About National History Day® (NHD)
NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, which seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. The National History Day Contest was established in 1974 and currently engages more than half a million students every year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. Projects compete first at the local and affiliate levels, where the top entries are invited to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD is sponsored in part by HISTORY®, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Park Service, Southwest Airlines, The Better Angels Society, Jacqueline B. Mars, and BBVA. For more information, visit nhd.org.
About the National Museum of American History
Through incomparable collections, rigorous research and dynamic public outreach, the National Museum of American History seeks to empower people to create a more just and compassionate future by examining, preserving and sharing the complexity of our past. The museum, located on Constitution Avenue N.W., between 12th and 14th streets, is open daily between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. The doors of the museum are always open online and the virtual museum continues to expand its offerings, including online exhibitions, PK–12 educational materials and programs. The public can follow the museum on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. For more information, go to https://americanhistory.si.edu. For Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000.
About Smithsonian Learning Lab
The Smithsonian Learning Lab is a free, interactive platform for discovering millions of authentic digital resources from across the Smithsonian’s museums, research centers, libraries, archives and more. The site allows teachers and students to create and adapt personalized interactive instructional materials with online tools and share in the Smithsonian’s expansive community of knowledge and learning. Prepackaged collections contain lessons, activities and recommended resources made by Smithsonian museum educators and thousands of classroom teachers across the country. For more information about the Smithsonian Learning Lab, visit learninglab.si.edu, follow @SmithsonianLab on Twitter, or email learninglab@si.edu.
