Howard County Students Honored at 2023 National History Day Competition

June 28th, 2023

Five students representing Howard, Long Reach and River Hill high schools were recognized as finalists in their respective categories at the 2023 National History Day competition, held earlier this month.

Outstanding State Entry Award – Senior Division and Finalist
Student: Charan Bala
Category: Individual Documentary
Topic: Black Wall Street: The Majestic Story of Wealth in All-Black Towns
School: River Hill High School
Teacher: Jessica Nichols

Finalists
Students: Athena Devashish and Julia Shi
Category: Senior Group Documentary
Topic: Cuneiform: How a Linguistic Innovation Revolutionized the World
School: River Hill High School
Teacher: Callie Casper

Student: River Gleeson
Category: Senior Individual Performance
Topic: The Stonewall Riots: The Event that Changed Queer Life Forever School:
Howard High School
Teacher: Leah Foran

Student: Cora Wood
Category: Senior Individual Website
Topic: First Impressions: The Opening of a New Artistic Horizon in the 19th Century
School: Long Reach High School
Teacher: Lisa Milak

A total of 21 Howard County Public School System students participated in the National History Day Competition after placing first or second at the Maryland History Day Competition. Students presented entries in one of five categories: exhibit, performance, multimedia documentary, research paper and website. The process started at the beginning of the school year as students conducted historical research on a self-selected topic related to this year’s National History Day theme of “Frontiers in History.” After gathering data and research, students analyzed the information, drew conclusions, constructed a historical argument, and began creation of the History Day project entry to submit for review.