H-ton Teenagers Celebrate History
in Annual Contest
The depth of research and the overall quality of projects amazed the teachers who judged this year’s National History Day local competition at Huntington High School. Students worked for months to perfect their submissions in an assortment of categories. The top award winners are headed to the Long Island regional contest at Hofstra University in March.
The projects were displayed in the auditorium lobby last week during Huntington’s annual National History Day awards presentation. The event drew several hundred students and parents along with Huntington School Board members, Superintendent James W. Polansky, Principal Carmela Leonardi, Chairperson of Humanities, 7-12 Joseph Leavy and assorted faculty members.
Huntington’s National History Day is coordinated by the school’s History Day club, which is led by co-Presidents Rachel Carpenter and Emily Shutman, Vice President Cara Sorrentino, Recording Secretary Samantha Conte, Corresponding Secretary Elisa Medina, Treasurer Marlem Tellez and Historian Alexandra Koumas. Social studies teacher Lauren Desiderio serves as the club’s faculty advisor. Club members meet after school on Wednesdays. Long-term leave replacement teacher Jarrad Richter helped out with this year’s contest.
Participants in this year’s National History Day initiative conducted extensive primary and secondary source research centered on the national theme: “Leadership and Legacy in History.” Many teachers and senior veterans of the initiative guided participants with mentoring and advice.
Projects were presented in various formats, including historical research papers, museum exhibits, video or computer generated documentaries, theatrical performances and websites. Projects can be submitted on an individual or group (up to five students) basis, with the exception of historical research papers.
The top three entries in each category will now advance to the regional competition at Hofstra University on Sunday, March 8. The top award winners there will go on to the state finals in Cooperstown on Monday, April 27. Huntington students have fared well over the years in the state level contest.
Dr. Alfred V. Sforza, a member of Huntington’s Class of 1957, was the guest speaker at last week’s awards ceremony. A dentist and author of multiple books on local history, Dr. Sforza shared his life story and passion for cataloging the history of the community with the crowd.
“The humanities program is very proud of the hard work our students have exhibited over these past months on their research,” Mrs. Desiderio said.
Each year, more than 500,000 students across the country participate in the National History Day contest. This year’s national finals will once again be held at the University of Maryland at College Park in June. “We have great aspirations for our students,” Mrs. Desiderio said.
This year’s honorees include:
Individual Documentary:
1. The Beatles: Alyssa Befumo
2. The Wright Brothers: Vincent Fredericks
3. The Harlem Hellfighters: John Riley
Group Documentary:
1. Muhammed Ali: Cole Blackburn & Thomas Kopstein
2. Chanel: A Woman Who Created Her Own Legend: Amanda LoScalzo, Ryann Gaffney, Erin Morrisroe, Louise Koepele
3. Walt Disney: Gaia D’Anna, Maggie Giles & Erica Vazquez
Individual Exhibit:
1. Aung Sun Suu Kyi: Samuel Latt
2. Wangari Mauthai: Molly Warren
3. Ayatollah Khomeini: Ethan Dwyer
Group Exhibit:
1. Julia Child: Mastering the Art of French Cuisine: Jordan Biener & Rachel Roday
2. Leroy Grumman: Brianne Neira & Jean Miller
3. Kim Il Sung and the Kim Dynasty: Krista Angeliadis & Sophia Latt
Historical Paper:
1. American Populism: An Expansive Movement of Democratization: Emily Shutman
2. Elizabeth Blackwell: Breaking the Barriers that Impeded Female Medical Education: Olivia Stamatatos
3. Joseph Stalin: The Soviet Union’s “Man of Steel:” Cara Sorrentino
Individual Website:
1. Eleanor Roosevelt: Leaving a Legacy of Equality for All: Miranda Nykolyn
2. Watson and Crick: Scott Venturino
3. Coco Chanel: A Legacy of Elegance: Kathryn Dara
Group Website:
1. John Steinbeck: Rachel Carpenter, Katarina DePasquale & Jamie Paragallo
2. Alice Paul: Aaron Feltman, Ripley Mars, & Latoya Shand
3. Theodore Roosevelt: Saving Football: Justin Martinolich & Dylan Schedler
Group Performance:
1. Daniel Ellsberg: Dylan DelGiudice & Spencer Pashkin
Special Awards
Best Topic in Global History 9th Grade:
Group Website
Vaclav Havel by Ben Conner, Thomas Edgar-McNemey, & Nolan Piccola
Best Topic in Global History 10th Grade:
Group Exhibit
Bob Marley by Abby Bellistri, Kayla Ryans and Cloe Stevens
Best Topic in American History 11th Grade:
Historical Paper
Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms by Jeannie Morgenstern
Aviation or Military History Award:
Historical Paper
William Tecumseh Sherman by Max Polster
African-American History Award:
Group Website
Sojourner Truth by Nina Cartwright, Alex Koumas and Sabrina Palacios
Women’s History:
Group Website
Susan Brownmiller by Alexandra Muller and Anna Gulizio
Irish History:
Individual Exhibit
James Connolly by Aidan McCooey
Genocide, Bias, or Tolerance Award:
Group Exhibit
Oskar Schindler by Nicole Abbondandelo, Luke Eidle and Rachel Moss
Physical & Life Sciences Award:
Individual Exhibit
Jane Goodall by Grace Curran
Peacemaker Award:
Individual Exhibit
Malala by Emma Pandolfi
Clio Award:
Individual Website
Kathleen Hanna by Chloe Liepa
Clio Award:
Group Exhibit
Nelson Mandela by Sarah Glascock, Isabella McGinniss, Christina Varady & Lauren White
(The Clio Award recognizes creators whose work exemplifies inventive thinking; celebrating inspiration, honoring imagination and fostering creativity.)
Jack Abrams Local History Award:
Group Exhibit
Leroy Grumman by Brianne Neira and Jean Miller
Citizen Activist Award:
Group Website
Gloria Steinem by Nicole Arenth, Kenny Fajardo, Jamie Rosenbauer
National Archives Award:
Group Exhibit
Robert Oppenheimer by Lindsay Saginaw & Alex Heuwetter
Principal’s Award:
Historical Paper
Adolf Hilter: Camryn Libes