Huntington’s Nataly Posada Wins State History Championship

Huntington High School junior Nataly Posada captured the state championship in the Individual Website category at the State History Day contest at SUNY Oneonta on Sunday. The Blue Devil junior will advance to the national finals June 14-18 at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Ms. Posada’s website titled “A New Deal for America: How did Social Security Redefine Government's Role?” overwhelmed the state judges with its depth and clarity.

"We are incredibly proud of Nataly’s outstanding achievement and commend her dedication, creativity, and passion for history,” Huntington Superintendent Beth McCoy said. “Advancing to the National History Day national competition with her individual website is a remarkable accomplishment that reflects countless hours of research, critical thinking, and perseverance. She represents our district with excellence, and we look forward to cheering her on as she competes on the national stage.”

Click on this link to explore the award winning website: https://site.nhd.org/43639818/home.

This year’s National History Day theme is “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.” 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.

Ms. Posada received guidance, mentoring and encouragement from her Huntington High School Advanced Placement United States History teacher Kenneth Donovan. She conducted research by gathering information from multiple sources.

“Nataly's outstanding website reflects exceptional research, creativity, and historical insight,” said Huntington social studies teacher Lauren Desiderio, who coordinates the National History Day program for the district. “This achievement is a testament to her dedication and hard work. Congratulations to Ken Donovan, too, as her AP US History teacher.”

Huntington UFSD Chairman of Social Studies Joseph Leavy was on the scene in Oneonta as the state championships played out.

“Nataly is extremely excited about winning and feels that her hard work has paid off,” Mr. Leavy said. “She has worked many years with this and previous projects, refining her ability and skill in demonstrating presentation accuracy and engagement in the website category.”

“My main sources were President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chat about Social Security and government records from the Social Security Administration,” she wrote in the process paper accompanying the website. “I also reviewed historical websites and documents that explained how the Great Depression affected American families and why a program like Social Security was needed. Finding sources that described the creation of the Social Security Act, the debates in Congress, and the impact it had on workers and seniors was crucial to my research. I made sure my information was accurate and reliable by comparing details from multiple sources to confirm that they matched.”

Ms. Posada noted that prior to enactment of the Social Security Act, most Americans 65 and older lived in poverty and lacked a financial safety net. “President Roosevelt's New Deal showed government intervention was necessary to protect citizens during the economic crisis,” she wrote in the process paper.