After months of intensive research, followed by successes at district-level competitions and the Sacramento County History Day competition, champions were recognized earlier this month following the 2021 National History Day—California state competition. There will be 59 students from California continuing on to compete in the National History Day competition, which will be conducted online in June.
Sacramento County Students Recognized in State Competition
Students in Sacramento County fared well in this year’s state competition. Lea Han, a student from Vista del Lago High School (Folsom Cordova USD), will represent the county and California in the national competition. Her historical paper, titled “The Gwangju Uprising: A Complex Web of Communication and Understanding,” explores a 1980 event in Gwangju, South Korea.
Sacramento County students were also runners-up in several of the competition categories:
Group Poster
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood—“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Mariemont Elementary (San Juan USD)
- McKenna Irish
- Nikoletta Callas
- Theodora Callas
Group Exhibit
Inhaling the Truth: Exposing the Killer in Disguise
Monterey Trail High School (Elk Grove USD)
- Jaimee Nguyen
- Ezekiel Dabay
- Saranna Lay
Group Performance
The Flapper Rebellion: Creating the Modern Woman
Arden Middle School (San Juan USD)
- Kaylin Irish
- Mia Jimenez
Group Website
The WWII Propaganda Push: Weaponization of Communication
Folsom Middle School (Folsom Cordova USD)
- Rishi Kawediya
- Rahul Puritipati
A list of student medalists and prize winners from the state competition is available on the National History Day—California website.
About the National History Day Program
More than 600,000 students nationwide participate in the year-long National History Day program. In California, more than 40,000 students participate annually. This year, 1,169 students from 224 schools (representing 23 counties) participated in the California state contest. More than 133 historians, educators, and other professionals evaluated student work. Students were also awarded prizes donated by sponsors.
National History Day is an inquiry-based research project, requiring students to research a topic based on a theme. This year, the theme was “Communication in History: The Key to Understanding.” Historical arguments and analysis may be presented in the form of a paper, exhibit, website, documentary, poster, or performance.