Ridgewood High Students Qualify For NJ History Day Contest

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Ridgewood High School juniors Isabella Harelick, Isabel Lee, Paul Nasr, and Alice Zhang are state qualifiers in the Rutgers University-Camden Regional Contest of New Jersey History Day.

The students profiled investigative journalist Sir Harold Evans and his reporting of the thalidomide scandal in their documentary, "A Voice for the Oppressed: Sir Harold Evans and the Sunday Times Campaign."

"This is the first time in recent history that Ridgewood High School has participated in New Jersey History Day," said Corrina Moss-Keller, library media specialist.

"Not only did Alice, Paul, Isabel, and Isabella initiate a new club and seek out an advisor during a pandemic and virtual school, but they researched, wrote and filmed a documentary for the first time. I am extremely proud of their initiative, creativity and teamwork."

In the coming weeks, the students will receive feedback from the judges and have an opportunity to revise their work before the state competition on Saturday, May 1. The event is typically hosted by William Paterson University, but will be done virtually this year.

The theme for this year’s event is Communication in History: The Key to Understanding.

An affiliate of National History Day, New Jersey History Day engages students in the process of discovery and interpretation of historical topics. Student projects must relate to the annual theme and can be presented in the form of a performance, exhibit, documentary, website or paper.

They are judged at local, regional, and state competitions, with the national event annually taking place in June at the University of Maryland, College Park. Much like the New Jersey edition, the national competition will be virtual in 2021.

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