5 New Haven Students Win Awards At National History Day Contest

NEW HAVEN, CT – Five of the 21 students from across Connecticut who received awards at the 2021 National History Day® are from New Haven.

Held Saturday in a virtual ceremony, it's the highest number of awards ever for a Connecticut delegation to National History Day.

Fifty-six students represented Connecticut at the virtual contest this year after advancing by placing in first or second place at the Connecticut State Contest last month. They joined close to 3,000 students from the U.S. and overseas to compete at the national level. More than 3,000 middle and high school students participated in the 2021 Connecticut History Day (CHD) competition, one of 58 affiliate programs of National History Day.

“I’m so proud of Connecticut’s students for persevering through a really difficult year to do amazing research on creative topics,” stated state coordinator Rebecca Taber. “The students' hard work is reflected in Connecticut's strong showing at the National Contest. Congratulations to the teachers and students."

Inspired by the theme Communication in History: The Key to Understanding, high school and middle school students wrote papers, created exhibits, produced documentaries, designed websites and staged performances exploring topics ranging from Prudence Crandall to the Beatles to the creation of the telegraph.

The following New Haven students were awarded prizes:

· 3rd place, Senior Group Website: KeQing Tan and Sneha Maskey, Wilbur Cross High School, New Haven - Communicating through Code: Elizabeth Friedman's Crackdown on Nazi Spy Rings during World War II.

· 4th place, Junior Group Documentary: June Lanpher and Maya Harpaz-Levy, Worthington Hooker Middle School, New Haven: The Reindeer Express. The team was also awarded the Junior Division, Outstanding Connecticut Award.

· 6th place, Junior Papers: Manxi Han, Worthington Hooker School, New Haven - Objective Journalism vs. Patriotic Narrative How (Mis)Information Was Communicated to the American Public during the Tet Offensive of 1968.

Connecticut History Day, coordinated by The Connecticut Democracy Center at Connecticut’s Old State House, is one of 58 affiliate programs of NHD. CHD promotes the study of history in schools to create a higher degree of appreciation for the value of historical thought in students, educators, and community members. CHD creates college and career-ready citizens of the future by engaging students in rigorous, inquiry-based academic research projects.

Connecticut History Day is presented with major funding and partnership support from CT Humanities and support from the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area and the New Haven Museum. Follow Connecticut History Day on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and visit historydayct.org.

The Connecticut Democracy Center (CTDC) provides people with a lifetime pathway to active citizenship and the tools to take civic action in their own communities. CTDC strengthens civic engagement in the Constitution State by providing comprehensive and unbiased educational programming and outreach on state government, civics, history, and citizenship.