HCPSS Students Advance to National History Day Competition

May 10th, 2024

Twenty-three Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) students will advance to nationals after placing first or second in the Maryland History Day competition. The 2024 National Contest will be held in June at the University of Maryland, College Park.

This year’s National History Day theme was “Turning Points in History.” Students in grades 6–12 conducted research related to the topic, analyzed information, drew conclusions, and created a History Day project in one of five categories (documentary, exhibit, performance, website, and paper) to submit for review at the school, county, and then state level.

In addition to those advancing to nationals, three HCPSS students were honored at the statewide event with special awards and Elkridge Landing Middle School G/T Resource teacher Patricia Holy-Ilenda was recognized as the Howard County History Day Teacher of the Year.

A list of HCPSS students advancing to the national competition is included below. These students won competitions at the school and county level and were competing against hundreds of students from school systems across the state.

Program Category Winners

Senior Individual Documentary

1st Place
“Burning Down Barriers: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire”
Student: Kiya Tibebe
School: Reservoir High School
Teacher: Jennifer Coker

Senior Group Documentary

1st Place
“The Turning Point in Indian Nuclear History: Pokhran ’98”
Students: Neal Shandilya and Vihaan Jain
School: Howard High School
Teacher: Danelle Brennan

Senior Individual Performance

2nd Place
“A Political Turning Point in Women’s Rights – The Successes and Failures of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania V. Casey”
Student: Aanya Contractor
School: Marriotts Ridge High School
Teacher: Christina Costabile

Senior Group Performance

2nd Place
“Jacob Riis: Reweaving the Social Fabric of Cities in America”
Students: Annabelle Wu, Surie Zhang, and Tirzah Chan
School: River Hill High School
Teacher: Callie Casper

Senior Individual Website

1st Place
“The Alcatraz Occupation: A Turning Point in the Red Power Movement”
Student: Sahasra Batta
School: Marriotts Ridge High School
Teacher: Christina Costabile

Junior Individual Exhibit

1st Place
“Beyond the Bowl: Marjorie Merriweather Post’s Impact on Society”
Student: Hemant Kantheti
School: Bonnie Branch Middle School
Teacher: Steven Boone

Junior Group Exhibit

2nd Place
“Smallpox Inoculation: The 1721 Boston Outbreak”
Students: Claire Rhee, Eunice Ji, Raya Patel, and Shreya Desai
School: Thomas Viaduct Middle School
Teacher: Laura Attridge

Junior Individual Documentary

1st Place
“Skill Over Skin: How the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 Was a Turning Point in American History”
Student: Satvik Jain
School: Burleigh Manor Middle School
Teacher: Robyn Page

Junior Group Documentary

1st Place
“The Polio Vaccines: Saving Lives Since 1955”
Students: Eva Muehlbauer and Jeannie Cho
School: Lime Kiln Middle School
Teacher: John Lippert

Junior Individual Performance

2nd Place
“The Manufacturing Of Penicillin: 20th Century Turning Point”
Student: Srikar Midde
School: Patapsco Middle School
Teacher: Matt Dymek

Junior Group Performance

2nd Place
“Painted in Poison: Radium Girls and the Deadly Glow of Time”
Students: Christy Pierce, Emily Knutson, and Saanvi Venumbaka
School: Patuxent Valley Middle School
Teacher: Heather Siepel

Junior Group Website

1st Place
“WARdrobe: A Turning Point in Women’s History”
Students: Ava Pollard, Divya Pavuluri, and Riddhi Mittal
School: Folly Quarter Middle School
Teacher: Bill Ceglia

Special Award Winners

Award for Excellence in Civic Engagement and Action, Sponsored by the Maryland Council for the Social Studies

“Power to the People: The Black Panther Party”
Category: Senior Individual Documentary
Student: Charan Bala
School: River Hill High School
Teacher: Jessica Nichols

The Major General John E. Morrison Award for Excellence in STEM Education and Innovation, Sponsored by the National Cryptologic Foundation

“Floating for Forecasting: The Impact of Weather Balloons”
Category: Junior Group Exhibit
Student: Annabelle Liang, Claire Sun, and Eileen Wu
School: Clarksville Middle School
Teacher: Margaret Brothman

Michael E. Patten Memorial History Award for Best Use of Primary Sources, Sponsored by the Frank Patten Family

“The Alcatraz Occupation: A Turning Point in the Red Power Movement”
Category: Senior Individual Website
Student: Sahasra Batta
School: Marriotts Ridge High School
Teacher: Christina Costabile

Howard County History Day Teacher of the Year

Patricia Holy-Ilenda
Elkridge Landing Middle School