National History Day

What is NHD?

From the NHD website: Each year, thousands of middle and high school students and teachers across the United States participate in National History Day, a year-long educational program that culminates in a national contest every June. Students prepare original projects using primary sources and compete in a local contest. The winners move on to a state competition. Those winners move on to the national competition in Washington. Along the way, every participant gains first-hand experience conducting historical research and analysis and by producing a documentary, exhibit, essay, performance, or website. Through this journey of exploration students learn to synthesize information and develop balanced conclusions based on their findings.

NHD Club!

At the beginning of my senior year, I created a National History Day club at my school in order to promote the program as well as mentor new students interested in participating. I worked with school faculty to help make NHD an honors pathway for freshmen taking the Global Studies course. I've helped students choose topics, and guided them to create their projects through mentored lessons. Currently, the club has over 100 members. I'm thrilled to see so many students eager to explore history and make a meaningful change in their community.

2021 - "Kill the Indian, Save the Man"

Re-education efforts and cultural assimilation in reservations shattered Native American culture and identity - disincentivizing the use of their native tongue. As language and identity are key tools to preserve a culture, cultural experiences and stories were lost when “American” values were forced upon Native Americans. The legacy of language extinction in Native American Boarding schools echoes today, and raising awareness about Native American language presents an opportunity to preserve the rich cultural heritage that has continually been under attack.

Language is the foundation of communicating a culture’s way of life and traditions. Specifically, language extinction in Native American boarding schools has created ramifications that ripple through generations. Protecting language is essential to preserving native culture and identity in order to convey unique experiences, traditions, and stories from generations past. Preserving native culture is important for understanding the land that we live on and the history it carries.

This documentary was presented at the state competition.

This documentary was presented at the national competition.

2019 - The Vision of Americas Interstates

Our documentary for the 2019 National History Day Competition detailed the effect of interstate construction on minority communities throughout the major metropolitan areas of 1970s America, winning first place in Oregon and moving on to present at the national competition. Our documentary focused on the systemic injustices perpetrated by the freeway planning committee, how the construction of these freeways was used to displace lower-income communities in the inner cities, and the lack of diverse representation from these communities.