Huntington freshman Charlie Cassatto (left) and fellow freshman Wynne Franciscovich.
Huntington freshman Charlie Cassatto (left) and  fellow freshman Wynne Franciscovich.

Freshmen Partners Win First Place for Group Exhibit

March 2, 2023

Freshmen research partners Charlotte “Charlie” Cassatto and Wynne Franciscovich are headed to the National History Day Long Island regional finals after capturing first place at Huntington High School for their group exhibit project titled “Planned Parenthood Healthcare for All: A Frontier in Sex Education.

The 2023 National History Day theme is “Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.” The Huntington research partners worked for several months on their project.

“My National History Day partner, Charlie Cassatto and I have learned so much throughout this experience and hope to learn more as we continue through to the next round,” Ms. Franciscovich said. “We can’t wait to see how our project does as we move up to a higher level of competition. Learning about our topic of Planned Parenthood has been extremely fascinating and allowed us to grow not only as students, but as people.”

The two teenagers both sport A averages academically. They have known each other for many years with both getting their start at Huntington UFSD as Washington Primary School kindergarteners.

“Wynne and I knew right away that we wanted to revolve our project around women’s rights,” Ms. Cassatto said. “It’s something we’ve both been passionate about growing up. We immensely enjoyed educating ourselves and others on the topic. We’re both extremely grateful that we get to move on and expose even more people to our topic.”

The Long Island regional finals at Hofstra University are set for Sunday, March 26. In the ensuing weeks, students will be able incorporate suggestions made by judges to improve their projects. The annual history initiative seeks to make history more relevant for students and requires them to use a variety of practical and creative skills during the development of their projects.

The state championship is set for Monday, April 24 on the SUNY College at Oneonta campus. The national finals will be held Sunday through Thursday, June 11-15 at the University of Maryland at College Park.