Huntington students turned in a very strong performance in the Long Island regional finals of this year’s National History Day contest, capturing a pair of first place finishes and nine awards overall.
The award recipients will now vie in the New York History Day championship round with the top finishers in that competition advancing to the national championships.
Huntington’s honorees include:
Senior Group Documentary: First Place – “Dr. Frank Field” by Rachel Morina, Mikah Schuller and Isabella Lima
Senior Group Website: First Place – “Operation Mincemeat: The Series of Communications that Altered the Course of World War II by Talia Addeo, Laurel Bonn and McKenna Buffa
Senior Group Exhibit: Third Place – “Hello Girls: The Heroines of Communication in World War I” by Markella Markotsis and Renee McKean
Senior Individual Exhibit: Third Place – “The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971: A Cry for Reform” by Cassidy Casabona
Junior Individual Performance: Third Place – “Extra! Extra! Newsies Stand Up and Speak Out” by Chloe Donovan
Senior Individual Documentary: Fourth Place – “The League of United Latin American Citizens” by Jennifer Lopez Del-Cid
Senior Historical Paper: Fourth Place – “The Unanswered Call for Justice: How Chinese-American Resistance to the 1892 Geary Act Communicated a Need for Change” by Erin Ye
Senior Individual Documentary: Fifth Place – “Ralph Baer: Communication Through Innovation” by Ally Kustera
Senior Individual Website: Fifth Place – “Mokusatu: A Fatal Misinterpretation” by Haileigh Smith
Huntington’s honorees are all thrilled to be recognized. “I was surprised because we got third place in the high school competition, but we received a lot of positive feedback from everyone we showed it to,” Ms. Lima said. “Many people recognize Frank Field, but didn’t know the extent of his accomplishments. We put a lot of work into our project and I am very excited that we’ve done this well.”
Huntington UFSD has long been a National History Day power, winning a long list of awards over the years.
“I’m really happy about our placement and feel proud to see all of our work pay off,” Ms. Addeo said. “I can’t wait to see how we perform at the state competition and I am hoping for another positive outcome.”
Huntington’s honorees have high hopes for the state contest and beyond.
“I’m really proud that we were able to come in first place on Long Island,” Ms. Buffa said. “We were confident in our website and had a good feeling going into the regional competition, especially after winning first in the school contest last month. I hope to continue on this path for states so that we can reach the National History Day national contest for the second time.”
New York State History Day results will be announced on April 30. Huntington expects to perform well in the contest, which is based in Cooperstown, but which will be held virtually during to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am very excited and proud about placing first on Long Island,” Ms. Bonn said. “I had a feeling that we would place somewhere in the top three and we were not completely surprised that we placed first. We put our heart and soul into our project and after viewing our format’s projects, we knew we had a good chance of placing at the top.”
Students put much effort into their entries, working for weeks and even months on their projects.
“I am very glad that all of our hard work was rewarded,” Mr. Schuller said. “I am a little surprised because of how many other good projects that there were, but I am pleased with the result.”
Winning Long Island regional honors was the icing on the cake for many of the Huntington students.
“I’m actually really surprised and excited about the outcome,” Ms. Smith said. “I was completely satisfied with the way it performed at the school level and would’ve been proud no matter what happened, but learning the degree of how competitive my project is just served as extra encouragement.”
Peter Crugnale was among the teachers expressing pride in how his students performed in the contest. Nine of his students won awards, including six spread across two groups that won first place honors.
“These students completed these projects with little supervision and minimal guidance,” Mr. Crugnale said. “They worked independently researching their topics and refining their arguments and completing some wonderful projects. Their work represents some of the best of the best in all of Nassau and Suffolk. I am so proud of the work these students have done. Despite challenging times, these students pushed through and excelled.”
Huntington’s honorees can’t wait to vie in the state championships. “I am super excited that we won and are moving on to states,” Ms. Morina said. “It is not something that we were expecting to happen, which makes it even more special.”