West Hartford Student Wins National History Day Top Prize

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Claire Flynn, a student at Sedgwick Middle School in West Hartford, won first place for the Junior Documentary category at the National History Day Contest.

The contest was staged Saturday.

Her documentary was, "Clearing the Air: How John Hersey Communicated Hiroshima Survivors' Stories to the World and Changed the Global Perspective on Nuclear Weapons."

In all, 21 students from across Connecticut received awards at the 2021 National History Day in a virtual ceremony, the highest number of awards ever for a Connecticut delegation to NHD. A total of 56 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 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."

This year's theme was "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.

Connecticut History Day, coordinated by The Connecticut Democracy Center at Connecticut's Old State House, is one of 58 affiliate programs of NHD. The center 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 histordayct.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.