History Day State Champions Crowned at Scranton (Photos)

The University of Scranton recently hosted a massive history education event, bringing to campus hundreds of middle and high school students who used various platforms to showcase their creativity and research skills.

More than 700 middle and high school students from across Pennsylvania, competing as individuals and groups in junior and senior age levels, entered nearly 400 projects at this year's National History Day in Pennsylvania State Contest. The students displayed and presented their submissions on Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, at facilities throughout the University's campus.

"It was amazing to see students from all kinds of backgrounds and from all over Pennsylvania, coming to The University of Scranton to share their research in and love of history," said Sean Brennan, Ph.D., professor of history and event organizer. "This contest not only helps to cultivate historical knowledge, but also promotes a sense of civic future the students will take into adulthood."

Prizes were awarded in the following categories: Best Documentary, Best Exhibit, Best Paper, Best Performance and Best Website. The first-, second- and third-place finishers received medals, while the first- and second-place finishers advance to the National Finals, held June 14-18, at the University of Maryland.

The overall school champions were Harrisburg's Holy Name of Jesus School, Junior Division; and Parkland High School, Senior Division.

Coinciding with the 250-year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, entries followed the theme of Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.

In total, 708 students competed with 386 entries. A full list of medalists and special prize winners are available online.

The University of Scranton also hosted the National History Day Pennsylvania Region 2 contest in February .

The University will host next year's Region 2 (March 6) and State Contests (April 24-25), as well.

Champions included the following:

Junior Group Documentary
Mikhail Zachariah, Nithin Raja, Srisathwik Kanteti and Advai Shyam, of South Fayette Middle School, "Three Mile Island: Nuclear Reform in the United States"

Senior Group Documentary

Daniel Khan and Edward Cheung, of the Haverford School, "Asphalt Genesis: The Hidden Cost Under the Forced Revolution of America's Roads"

Junior Group Exhibit

Terra Nguyen and Reese Perry, of Holy Name of Jesus School, "From Charity to Care: Catherine Hershey's Philanthropic Revolution"

Senior Group Exhibit

Lily Sadowski, Stella Rusinko, Alexis Strine and Hansa Gogineni, of Peters Township High School, "Orval Faubus: A Revolutionary Reaction to the Reform of the Little Rock Nine"

Junior Group Performance

Isabella Sedano-Perez, Hadley Schuller, Annabelle Valentin and Penelope Whetstone, of Reynolds Middle School, "Her Side of History"

Senior Group Performance

Nyahme Joslyn, Sophia Plastaras, Eliana Kelberg-Gross, Olivia Kang and Leila Golzari-Hunt, of the Julia Reynolds Masterman School, "One Voice, One America: How Marian Anderson's Lincoln Memorial Performance Set a Precedent for Reform"

Junior Group Website

Grace Greenwood, Adalia Mathew and Diya Thirumurugan, of South Fayette Middle School, "A Glowing Workplace With Dark Secrets: The Radium Girls' Fight for Reform"

Senior Group Website

Hari Kasibhotla and Lucas Vicente-Mendoza, of Central Bucks High School-South, "The Meiji Restoration: Rise of an Asian Powerhouse"

Junior Individual Documentary

Ella Futrel, of Holy Name of Jesus School, "The Monumental Miles"

Senior Individual Documentary

Madelyn Yucha, of Central High School (Philadelphia), More Than a Maid: The Complex Legacy of Hattie McDaniel

Junior Individual Exhibit

Rafael Alicea, of Saint Margaret Mary School, "El Grito de Lares: Revolution, Reaction and Reform Puerto Rico's First Fight for Freedom"

Senior Individual Exhibit

Marjorie Yaschur, of Central Bucks High School-East, "The Sweet Side of History: Unwrapping Hershey's Great American Chocolate Bar"

Junior Individual Performance

Hajar Syamsuddin, of Springhouse Middle School, "After Genocide and Revolution: The Journey of Healing Together Through Traditional Ways"

Senior Individual Performance

Areesha Mariyam, of Parkland High School, "An Unjust Reaction to the Bolshevik Revolution: The Palmer Raids"

Junior Individual Website

Imogan Middleton, of Springhouse Middle School, "Girls to the Front: The Riot Grrrl Revolution"

Senior Individual Website

Julide Ozcan, of Parkland High School, "Ether Day: Conquering Pain, Stirring Reaction and Catalyzing Modern Medicine"

Junior Paper

Aadhya Palepua, of Mount Nittany Middle School, "Liberty, Property and Federal Authority: Constitutional Conflict in Fries's Rebellion"

Senior Paper

Vanshika Jain, of Mount Lebanon Senior High School, "Breaking the Gilded Hierarchy: The Bully Pulpit and the Birth of the Square Deal"