Student First: Fremont Students Qualify for 2023 State History Day Competition
Students representing four Fremont Unified School District schools were champions at the 2023 County History Day awards, with 11 projects earning a place in the State History Day competition.
“I’m incredibly proud that so many of our students took the time to explore a topic and develop a project for History Day,” said FUSD Superintendent CJ Cammack. “The success of our students in this competition is indicative of the high level of curiosity and academic achievement cultivated by our educators and supported by our families. I send my congratulations to each student who competed, and wish each of our champions well in the state competition to come.”
The projects on this year’s theme of “Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas” were part of the Alameda County History Day’s county-wide competition. This year the event returned to an in-person format, hosted at Mendenhall Middle School in Livermore on March 4.
Participating students created individual or group projects showing their findings, with analysis backed by extensive research. Students were interviewed by judges during the event, and their projects were judged based on historical quality, relation to theme, and clarity of presentation.
“I love the history day project because it not only teaches the students history, but also teaches them skills like teamwork, leadership, confidence, and relationship building,” said Lauren Denarola, an 8th Grade U.S. History and Leadership teacher at Centerville Junior High. “During the contest, it was great to see how confident and passionate the students were to speak about their topics.”
FUSD students took home awards across multiple categories:
Champions: Ami Parikh, Ishan Parekh - Thornton Junior High
Project: Making Money - Finance Through America's History
Category: Junior Group Podcast
Champions: Aanya Gautam, Zoe Chiang - Centerville Junior High
Project: Fighting for Miscegenation - How the Loving v. Virginia Case Changed Marriage Laws Across the US
Category: Junior Group Website
Champions: Diya Chivukula, Moukthika Kuruva, Laasya Kyabaarsi - Centerville Junior High
Project: Votes for Women
Category: Junior Group Website
Champion: Harikrishna Vaidya - Centerville Junior High
Project: The Fight for Equal Rights Remains...
Category: Junior Historical Paper
Champions: Ananya Tayal - Thornton Junior High
Project: Antiseptics: Frontiers in History
Category: Junior Individual Documentary
Champion: Jasdeesh Punia - Centerville Junior High
Project: Shooting for the Moon: Frontiers in History with the Moon Landing
Category: Junior Individual Exhibit
Champion: Adam Kasouit - Thornton Junior High<
Project: The Trieste's Dive into Challenger Deep: Breaking Boundaries Under the Waves
Category: Junior Individual Website
Champions: Logan King, Bhargav Shriram - American High School
Project: "Hope Will Never Be Silent:" Harvey Milk's Crusade for LGBTQ+ Rights
Category: Senior Group Website
Champion: Ryka Chopra - Mission San Jose High School
Project: Cryptography - A Frontier in Wartime Espionage and the Woman Who Breached It - The Life and the Legacy of Elizebeth Smith Friedman
Category: Senior Historical Paper
Champion: Karthik Subramanian - American High School
Project: Standing Up to Sit: Baton Rouge Boycott
Category: Senior Individual Website
Champion: Megan Nguyen - Mission San Jose High School
Project: The French Revolution: The Catalyst of Modern Democracy in Europe
Category: Senior Individual Website
Centerville Principal Walter Lewis attended the event with several Centerville teachers to support their 18 participating students.
“This was Centerville's first time having a structured History Day program at our school,” said Denarola. “It was a learning experience for both me and the students. We continued to learn our history content while also spending time learning about how to create a project.
Thornton Junior High teacher Lily Van Osdol became an advisor/coach for National History Day in 2019, after students requested she take on the role.
“I was hesitant at first, but the students were so passionate about the competition that I couldn’t turn down the role,” said Van Osdol. “I am glad I did because NHD is an amazing project-based contest in which students can explore and hyper-focus on topics that interest them, but may not be taught in depth within the classroom. NHD has allowed my students to not only study and appreciate the social sciences but practice the critical skills necessary to be well-rounded and compassionate individuals—critical analysis, effective researching and writing, and acting on just plain curiosity.”
The winning projects are eligible to compete in State History Day in April.
