2023

MARYLAND – June 13, 2024 -- Eight California entries were named national champions at the 50th Annual National History Day Contest held at the University of Maryland College Park Campus in the Washington, D.C. area June 9-13.  In addition, eight California entries were named finalists, seven received honorable mention, two entries were named Outstanding In State, and one entry was selected for a special award.

More than 2,600 students from 50 states and 3 international affiliates participated in the contest. $150,000 in scholarships are awarded at the awards ceremony, and approximately 100 students took home cash prizes between $250 and $5,000 for superior work in a particular category of judging.

View contest photos here

Teacher Awards

Aditi Doshi from Van Nuys High School in Los Angeles County was selected as the winner of the 2024 NHD Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award for the Senior Division. Aditi was selected from a pool of 54 nominees and will receive a $10,000 prize.

Chuck Diep from Roger Temple Intermediate School in Los Angeles County was honored as a California nominee for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Junior Division and will receive a $500 prize.

The Patricia Behring National History Day Teacher of the Year Award honors teachers who engage History Day students in historical thinking through innovative teaching and active learning strategies.

National Contest - Team California Results

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS - MEDALISTS
The following entries were recognized as overall 1^st - 3^rd place winners of NHD.

1^st Place – Junior Group Documentary:  Poiema Bernier, Lucas Menendez
Acaciawood Preparatory Academy, Orange County.  Teacher – Karen Kayekjian & Noemi Quinones
Title – Rising from the Ashes: The Cuyahoga River a Turning Point in American Environmental Policy 

1^st Place – Senior Group Exhibit:  Emily Yi, Samantha Bailey
Orange County School of the Arts, Orange County.  Teacher – Lana Sawalha
Title – Nauseating a Nation: How the Jungle Turned the Stomach of America into Legislation

1^st Place –Senior Individual Performance:  Supriti Bhopale
Carlmont High School, San Mateo County.  Teacher – Greg Schoenstein
Title – Satyagraha: King's Embrace of Nonviolence Becomes a Turning Point in the Civil Rights Struggle

2^nd Place – Junior Individual Performance:  Audrey Kim
Sierra Vista Middle School, Orange County.  Teachers – Jonathan Millers & Lianne Linck
Title – MacArthur’s Bold Gambit: How Operation Chromite Became a Pivotal Turning Point in the Korean War and Shaped NATO's Inception

2^nd Place – Junior Group Exhibit:  Emily Huang, Megan Phan, Hilary Hung
Roger W. Temple Intermediate School, Los Angeles County.  Teacher –Chuck Diep
Title – “To the hip hip hop-a you don’t stop”: Turning the Tables on Music History 

2^nd Place – Senior Group Website:  Adviti Aleti, Stuthi Kandula
Dougherty Valley High School, Contra Costa County.  Teacher – Andrew Wengel
Title – The Pentagon Papers: A Turning Point in Public Perception & Press

3^rd Place – Senior Historical Paper:  Aaron Widjaja
Menlo School, San Mateo County.  Teacher – Franco Cruz-Ochoa
Title – The Golden Age of Buddhism: How Imperial Patronage in the Early Tang Dynasty Fueled Buddhism’s Ascendency in China

3^rd Place – Senior Individual Documentary:  Harmony Yan-Li
Irvine High School, Orange County.  Teacher – Jennifer Harrington
Title – Turning Points in History: Frances Kelsey and the Thalidomide Scandal

CONTEST FINALIST
The following entries were 1^st in preliminary judging heats and advanced to final round judging.

4^th Place – Junior Individual Exhibit:  Yesha Gupta
Sierra Vista Middle School, Orange County.  Teachers – Jonathan Millers & Lianne Linck
Title – When the Computer Wore a Skirt: Christine Darden

5^th Place – Senior Group Performance:  Matthew Pitcher Cate, Chielpegian, Violet Mack, Mason Pitcher, Kyle Mrkaich
Edison High School, Fresno County.  Teacher – Gary Mrkaich
Title – Abortion: A Turning Point Consequence Far Greater than the Slaughter of the Innocents

5^th Place – Senior Group Documentary:  Selah El Issa, Jimena Romero
Sanger High School, Fresno County.  Teacher – Austin Rurik
Title – Forging a Superpower: How the Truman Doctrine Defined a Legacy

6^th Place – Junior Historical Paper:  Augusta Chen
The Harker School, Santa Clara County.  Teacher – Ramsay Westgate
Title – Women Where They Belong: Title IX as a Turning Point for Girls and Women in American Sports and Society

6^th Place – Senior Individual Exhibit:  Felix Chen
The Harker School, Santa Clara County.  Teacher – Byron Stevens
Title – “The Very Bulwark of our Republic”: The Common School Movement as a Turning Point in American History

7^th Place – Junior Individual Exhibit:  Henry Wiechmann
Sierra Vista Middle School, Orange County.  Teachers – Jonathan Millers & Lianne Linck
Title – East L.A. Walkouts: Launching a Movement

7^th Place – Junior Group Website:  Shreya Hegde, Christine Jeon
Sierra Vista Middle School, Orange County.  Teacher – Jonathan Millers & Lianne Linck
Title – A Turning Point in Immigration: How the Transcontinental Railroad Affected the Chinese

 8^th Place – Junior Group Website:  Shawn Castrapel, Saanvi Chaparala, Sanay Chaparala, Daniel Cheng, Crystal Zhou
Sierra Vista Middle School, Orange County. Teacher – Jonathan Millers & Lianne Linck
Title – A Turning Point to Co-existence: How Silent Spring Led to the Reevaluation of Humanity's Relationship with the Environment

HONORABLE MENTION
Received 2^nd place in preliminary judging room.

Honorable Mention – Junior Individual Documentary:  Mahima Wuppalapati
Beacon Park K-8 School, Orange County.  Teacher – Christina Ralston
Title – Beyond the Scalpel: Laparoscopic Surgery and Its Revolutionary Impact on Modern Medicine

Honorable Mention – Junior Individual Documentary:  Vincent Tang
El Cerrito Middle School, Riverside County.  Teacher – Steven Case
Title – The Game Changer: Marvin Miller | Turning Point in Labor-Management Relations

Honorable Mention – Junior Group Exhibit:  Haidar Alkhafaf, Michael Wang
Sierra Vista Middle School.  Orange County. Teacher – Jonathan Millers & Lianne Linck
Title – Newlands Resolution: The Road to American Imperialism; A Political Economic and Cultural Turning Point

Honorable Mention – Senior Individual Documentary:  Felix Potter
Martin Luther King High School, Riverside County.  Teacher – Kevin LeDuc
Title – Christine Jorgensen: A Forgotten Turning Point in Transgender History 

Honorable Mention – Senior Group Performance:  Dzifa Ackuayi, Saloni Bansal, Harman Chahal, Eve Youkana
Modesto High School, Stanislaus County.  Teacher – David Tanaka
Title – Jacob Riis: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Honorable Mention – Senior Individual Exhibit:  Jocelyn Hanson
Clovis West High School, Fresno County.  Teacher – Andy McElroy & Gabe Calderon
Title – Theodore Judah and the Transcontinental Railroad: A Turning Point in Transportation 

Honorable Mention – Senior Individual Website:  Ariel Liu
Dougherty Valley High School, Contra Costa County.  Teacher – Andrew Wengel
Title – Citizenship by Birth - United States v. Wong Kim Ark

LATINO AMERICAN HISTORY SPECIAL AWARD

Junior Individual Exhibit:  Henry Wiechmann
Sierra Vista Middle School, Orange County.  Teachers – Jonathan Millers & Lianne Linck
Title – East L.A. Walkouts: Launching a Movement

OUTSTANDING IN STATE

Outstanding in State Senior Division– Senior Group Performance
Dzifa Ackuayi, Saloni Bansal, Harman Chahal, Eve Youkana
Modesto High School, Stanislaus County.  Teacher – David Tanaka
Title – Jacob Riis: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Outstanding in State Junior Division – Junior Group Performance
Gia Bui, Cristal Caro, Viv Vazquez, Giselle Padilla
Ray Wiltsey Middle School.  San Bernardino County.  Teacher – Angela Stephens & Vanessa Roman
Title – Institut National de Juenes Sourds de Paris: Giving Voice to the Voiceless