Group Documentary Award winners Reese Rinaldi, Marley Joseph and Jada Joseph.
Group Documentary Award winners Reese Rinaldi, Marley Joseph and Jada Joseph.

Huntington Celebrates National History Day

February 13, 2023

History came to life as hundreds of students submitted projects for this year’s National History Day contest at Huntington High School last Thursday night.

The teenagers spent months researching and developing their entries and took delight in the attention that was showered upon them during the awards ceremony.

Participants vied in categories ranging from research papers to individual and group websites, exhibits and documentaries. Teams of teachers served as judges for each category and spent hours evaluating the projects, which were displayed in the auditorium lobby prior to the announcement of this year’s award winners.

Social studies teacher Lauren Desiderio serves as faculty advisor of the high school’s History Day club, which coordinates the initiative at Huntington. Finley teacher Jarrad Richter, high school teacher Peter Crugnale and SEARCH teacher Jessica Risalvato spoke and presented awards.

“Once again, I am very proud of the effort our Huntington, Finley and SEARCH students put forth in completing their National History Day projects,” Mrs. Desiderio said. “We had over 300 students in grades 6-11 participate. Our students engaged in rigorous research while honing their critical thinking skills as they made connections between their chosen topic and this year’s theme of Frontiers in History: People, Places and Ideas.”

Last week’s top place finishers will advance to the Long Island regional finals at Hofstra University on 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.

A large crowd viewed projects on display in the school lobby before moving into the auditorium for an announcement of this year’s award winners. Superintendent James W. Polansky was joined at the event by high school Principal Brenden Cusack

“This year's junior-level and high school research and projects, once again, prove why our district is regarded as among the top contributors to and performers in the competition each year,” Mr. Polansky said. “The critical thinking and research skills that students develop through the process are immeasurable, as were the spirit and excitement during the award ceremony! Thank you to the teachers at all involved schools who have helped guide their students along the way.”

Huntington UFSD students have achieved a significant amount of success at the regional, state and national competitions over the years and students and teachers are confident this year’s projects will fare well before judges.

“One of the reasons I love this research project so much is that I myself learn something new every year from our students,” Mrs. Desiderio said. “In particular, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the likes of Aaron Aaronsohn, Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku, the world’s first disputed surrogacy case and the efforts of the Matchstick girls of London to bring about changes in labor practices. I look forward to working with those students who will be competing at the regional competition next month.”

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.

“I also have to thank all of my colleagues who dedicated many hours of their time to carefully evaluating each of our students’ submissions,” Mrs. Desiderio said. “They were equally impressed with this year’s projects!”

2023 National History Day Award Winners

Junior Division

Group Performance:

1st: The Life of Molly: First Female Pioneer

Patricia Abruzzo, Helena Sullivan, Caitlin Wegielnik

Historical Paper:

1st: The Silk Road

Franklin Mulvaney

Individual Exhibit:

2nd: The Bonus Army

Sawyer Davis

1st: Hedy Lamarr: Breaking through the Frontier of Wireless Technology

Eva Ritcher

Group Exhibit:

3rd: Hedy Lamarr: Inventor of Frequency Hopping

Hennie England, Sophia Curley

2nd: The Seneca Falls Convention: A New Frontier in Women’s History

Andie DiGioia, Michael DiVincenzo, Julia Goodwin

1st: Frontiers in Film Production: Kinemacolor and the First Color Movie in History

Gemma Bedell, Piper Davis, Chelsea Drummings

Individual Website:

1st: Recovering Lost Maps from the Denmark Expedition: A Frontier in Mapping

Sena Knopf

Group Website:

3rd: Martin Luther King Jr.: A Pioneer Who Ended Segregation

Noah Garcia, Evan Murillo

2nd: Einstein and His Theories: Pioneer in History

Eli Levi, Cormac Driscoll, Ronan Driscoll

1st: The X-Ray: A New Frontier in Medical History

Avery Davidson, Leila O’Toole

Individual Documentary:

2nd: NBA Pioneer: The Story of the First Black Player to Play in the NBA

Kaitlin Purcell

1st: The Beatles: Pioneers of Music

Zachary Goldstein

Group Documentary:

3rd: Princess Diana: A Pioneer for the Royals

Harper Cohn, Angelica Cunningham, Celia LoPorto, Brianna Purcell

2nd: The Peloponnesian War

Nico Meloni, Charles Stanforth

1st: Theodore Roosevelt

Emily Casamassima, Gracyn Steinert, Quinn Woodley

Junior Division Special Awards

Women’s History

History of Women’s Lacrosse

Luisa Mackey, Emma Martin, Shelby Meystrik

Military History Award

Desmond T. Doss: An American Hero

William Oliva, Matthew Krull

Senior Division

Historical Paper:

3rd: Frontiers: A Flower that Blooms: Iris Chang and the Rape of Nanking

Anne Tyrell

2nd: The World’s First Disputed Surrogacy Case: “The Matter of Baby M”

Charlotte Gordon

1st: The War on Drugs: How Mass Incarceration was used as a Legal Frontier to Target Black Americans

Caitlin Maher Dubnau

Individual Website:

3rd: Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster: The Event that Sparked Hypervigilance around Nuclear Technology

Adriana Nunez Mendez

2nd: Space Exploration: The Everlasting Frontier

Anthony Addeo

1st: Ice Breaker: The Story of Willie O’Ree

Cameron Smith

Group Website:

3rd: Taiwan: China’s Island Frontier

Hillel Linker, Shaina Linker

2nd: Que Viva Mexico: Chicano Moratorium

Andrea Mani-Munoz, Damaris Mani-Munoz, Jannel Marroquin

1st: Dogs in Warfare: Combating Frontiers and Forwarding History

Jessica Bree, Heileen Torres

Individual Documentary:

3rd: Julia Child

Maya Akerman

2nd: The Korean War

Ashton Davies

1st: Freud’s Psychoanalytic Revolution

Jack Semelsberger

Group Documentary:

3rd: Development and Discovery of Anesthesia

Kaylee Splendorio, Mary Marinello

2nd: The Matchgirls Strike: Striking up New Unionism

Kiley Barch, Louisa Skrobela, Emma Polinsky, & Sofia Vias

1st: Mathew Brady’s Capturing of the Civil War: Altering the Use of Photography Forever

Jada Joseph, Marley Joseph, Reese Rinaldi

Individual Performance:

1st: How John Williams Revolutionized the Film Score and Touched the Hearts of Listeners Everywhere

Emily Kustera

Group Performance:

2nd: Igor Stravinsky: Rite of Spring

Josephine Sullivan, Alexa Schirripa, Maggie O’Toole

1st: Marie and Pierre Curie: A Radioactive Legacy

Isabella Careccia-Johnson, Rafaella Gregorio

Individual Exhibit:

3rd: Amish: Standing the Test of Time

Molly O’Brien

2nd: Apple Computer

Vincenza Garafalo

1st: Steve Biko: Frontier in South Africa

Ruby Hoffman

Group Exhibit:

3rd: Duke Kahanamoku

Bridget Callery, Grace Gordan, Claire Parks

2nd: When the Men are Away the Women Will Play

Ruby Baliber, Erika Hernandez Veliz, Mildred Hernandez Veliz

1st: Planned Parenthood Healthcare for All: A Frontier in Sex Education

Charlotte Cassatto, Wynne Franciscovich

SENIOR DIVISION SPECIAL AWARDS

Native American History:

Group Documentary

Navajo Native Americans in World War II

Lucas Spagnoletti, Lars Galvin, Katherine Estrada, Lily Froggatt Bale

Women’s History:

Individual Website

Nellie Bly: Bringing Awareness of Treatment in Mental Asylums and Women in Journalism

Mabelin Maldonado Licona

African American History Award:

Individual Website

Rebecca Lee Crumpler: An Unsung Hero of Civil Rights in the Medical Field

Nyah Grigg

Discovery or Exploration in History:

Group Exhibit

Apollo 11

Olivia Kaufman, Kyra Larsen, Grace Oliva, Jolie Weinschreider

Civil War History Award:

Individual Website

Fighting Frontiers: Black Soldiers in the Civil War

Niko Lulewich

Equality in History Award:

Group Documentary

Climbing the Steps to Equality

Samantha Koepele, Jack Ruthkowski

Latino American History Award:

Group Website

Cesar Chavez: Standing Up For What’s Right

Eshmal Fatima, Jaellyn Portillo Bueso

Holocaust and Genocide Studies Award:

Group Exhibit

Irena Sendler: The Caregiver of Jewish Children

Giovanna Lanfranco, Jesley Martinez Canales, Emely Herrera Rivas, Cecilena Mong Moreira

History of Physical Sciences and Technology Award:

Group Website

The Internet: How it changed the course of human history forever

Sofia Gomez Calderon, Kimberly Castro Perdomo

The Arts in History Award:

Individual Website

George Balanchine: The Ballet Maker

Lexie Balm

Immigration History Award:

Group Website

How has Temporary Protected Status affected both the United States and Migrants

Cristel Hernandez, Kimberly Panameno

Military History Award:

Group Website

Armed Etiquette: The Geneva Convention

Ethan Ambrosio, Samuel Klaaren, Caleb Palermo

Sports History:

Group Documentary:

Jim Brown: Multi-valuable Player

Brennen Ackerman, Dylan Heller, Griffin Kanzer

Topic of Merit in Global History 9th Grade:

Individual Website

Aaron Aaronsohn: Pioneer in Agriculture & Espionage

Jordana Boxer

Topic of Merit in Global History 10th Grade:

Paper

The Articles of Confederation: The necessary failure that explored the new frontiers of democracy

Nicholas Plachta

Topic of Merit in American History 11th Grade:

Podcast

Sex, Drugs, and Loopholes: Codifying the Film Industry

Lily Tierney

Clio Award:

Group Exhibit

The Frontier of a Century: The Otto Engine

Jaipreet Singh, Andrew Ochoa Islas, Luis Orrego Salinas

Jack Abrams Local History Award:

Paper

The Settlement and Development of Lloyd Neck

Thomas Smith

Principal’s Award:

Paper

The Expansion and Abolition of Slavery

Mari Velasquez Maldonado