COLLEGE PARK, MD – August 11, 2026 – National History Day® (NHD) is proud to announce the educators selected for its latest iteration of the Historical Argumentation: Using Library of Congress Resources to Build a Historical Argument, Exploring Innovation: Impact, Influence, Change in History webinar series. Sponsored by the Library of Congress, this professional development series is designed to deepen participants’ understanding of historical argumentation and to provide educators with resources and strategies for their classrooms.
From late July 2026 to November 2026, 53 educators will build their teaching knowledge through online Library of Congress resources, complete assignments, and join monthly webinars led by Dr. Christopher Hamner, Associate Professor of History at George Mason University. Once complete, educators will have demonstrated the ability to share key strategies for researching, supporting, and presenting historical arguments bolstered by primary sources held by the Library of Congress. Educators will build historical argumentation skills and learn how to integrate the following skill sets into their classroom resources for students:
- Historical Thinking Skills for Argumentation
- Tools of Historical Analysis: Perspective, Hindsight, and Agency
- Argumentation and Evidence
- Outlining an Argument and Drawing Conclusions
“Guiding educators in finding and using resources from the Library of Congress fosters valuable primary source analysis and historical argumentation skills in the classroom,” said NHD Executive Director, Dr. Cathy Gorn. “We are grateful for this partnership with the Library of Congress and to continue supporting educators across the country in teaching these important skill sets to their students.”
Congratulations to the following educators participating in NHD’s latest Historical Argumentation webinar series:
Mr. Elisaia Mailo, Tafuna High School, American Samoa
Ms. Jean Hill, Helen Tyson Middle School, Arkansas
Ms. Krissy Luke, Shanghai SMIC Private School, China
Mrs. Rosemary Auferio, North High School, Colorado
Mrs. Carol LaVallee, Wellen Park High School, Florida
Ms. Leah Ervin, B.E.S.T. Academy, Georgia
Ms. Jennifer Ozkan, Wiesbaden Middle School, Germany
Ms. Jennifer Koszyk, Prosser Career Academy, Illinois
Ms. Justice Plummer, Murray Language Academy, Illinois
Dr. Natalie Schultz, West Side Middle School, Indiana
Ms. Laura McLaughlin, Derby North Middle School, Kansas
Mrs. Amanda Rullman, Troy Middle School, Kansas
Mrs. Kara Magee, East Feliciana STEAM Academy, Louisiana
Mr. Coby Treadway, St Mary’s Ryken High School, Maryland
Mr. James Butler, Thurgood Marshall Middle School, Maryland
Mr. Patrick Culhane, Bedford High School, Massachusetts
Ms. Jamie Zelenka, Hingham Middle School, Massachusetts
Ms. Elizabeth Nelson, Pickford Public Schools, Michigan
Mrs. Ashleigh Turner, Pickford Public School, Michigan
Ms. Wendy Harris, Metro Deaf School, Minnesota
Mr. Ron Hustvedt, Salk STEM Middle School, Minnesota
Mrs. Danielle Vang, Ordean East Middle School, Minnesota
Mrs. Margaret Hicks, Hernando High School, Mississippi
Ms. Geneva Grogan, St. Teresa’s Academy, Missouri
Ms. Mary Zuchowski, Frazer Public Schools, Montana
Mrs. Aimee Barnes, Exploration Academy, Nebraska
Mrs. Sarah Burr, Syracuse Middle School, Nebraska
Ms. Casey Burkhardt, AFNORTH International School, the Netherlands
Mrs. Jennifer Winter, Spring Creek Elementary, Nevada
Mrs. Valerie Custeau, Crescent Lake School, New Hampshire
Ms. Stefanie San Filippo, Monville Township High School, New Jersey
Mr. Justin Jablonsky, Learning Community Charter School, New Jersey
Mrs. Shannon Beyer, Albuquerque School of Excellence, New Mexico
Ms. Samantha Harvey, Milford Central School, New York
Mr. Aaron Sorenson, Catskill Regional Teacher Center, New York
Ms. Kymberly Mattern, Calhoun School, New York
Ms. Eliza Hardin, Classical Scholars, North Carolina
Ms. Morgan Keena, Heritage Middle School, North Dakota
Ms. Grace Etheir, Wright State University, Ohio
Mrs. Alison Browning, JP McCaskey High School, Pennsylvania
Mrs. Rebecca Osborne-Melson, Sandhills Middle School, South Carolina
Mrs. Kate Hoppenrath, West High School, Tennessee
Ms. Kandy Williams, Snowden School, Tennessee
Mr. John Bodensteiner, Beaumont United, Texas
Mrs. Julie DeLapp, All Saints’ Episcopal School, Texas
Mrs. Brandina Ednie, Pine Tree Middle School, Texas
Mr. Adalberto Guerrero, Burges High School, Texas
Mrs. Heather McCormick, Snyder Junior High, Texas
Ms. Stephanie Shimp, West Springfield High School, Virginia
Mrs. Kim Matthews, Bothell High School, Washington
Ms. Abigail Jackson, Oyster Adams Bilingual School, Washington, D.C.
Mrs. Carlene Baurichter, Bangor High School, Wisconsin
Mrs. Mindy Bougie, Shawano Community Middle School, Wisconsin
About National History Day (NHD)
NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, that seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. Established in 1974, NHD currently engages more than half a million students every year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest and supports teachers through professional development opportunities. 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 the Joyful Noise Charitable Foundation, The Better Angels Society, Bezos Family Foundation, Library of Congress, Dr. Scholl Foundation, Behring Global Educational Foundation, and the National Park Service. For more information, visit nhd.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS: mary@nhd.org / DKCNHD@dkcnews.com
