Minnesota Students Take Top Honors at National History Day Competition

ST. PAUL, Minn (June 13, 2024) – As the National History Day competition wraps up today, Minnesota’s 64 competitors took home an array of awards, including seven medals, three finalists, and seven honorable mentions.

Minnesota’s delegation included students from around the state, who competed against nearly 3,000 students from across the country. The competition was held at the University of Maryland, College Park campus, just outside of Washington, D.C.

The students, representing grades six through twelve, presented exhibits, papers, documentaries, performances and websites that showed off months of research based on this year’s theme, “Turning Points in History.” 

The top three national finishers in each category earn monetary awards. First place winners receive $1000, second place winners receive $500, and third place winners receive $250. National History Day also recognizes one outstanding state entry in each division, junior and senior, with a medal.

Medal winners are:

• Colten, Dexter, Sawyer, Sedona, September, Christ’s Household of Faith School, St. Paul. First Place, Senior Group Performance, “Then They Came for Me: The Separation of the German Church and the Resistance Against the Nazi Regime”
• Zania, Open World Learning Community, St. Paul. First Place, Junior Paper, “The Creation of the Birth Control Pill: A Turning Point for American Women’s Educational, Economics, and Role in Society"
• Margaret, East High School, Duluth. Second Place, Senior Individual Website, “A Turning Point in Native American Spiritual Rights: The American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978”
• Maeve, Murray Middle School, St. Paul. Second Place, Junior Individual Documentary, “Sunny Days: A Turning Point in Children’s Television”
• Scout, Murray Middle School, St. Paul. Third Place, Junior Individual Exhibit, “Griswold v. Connecticut: A Turning Point in Privacy Rights”
• Harrison, Miles, Parker, Sunrise Park Middle School. Third Place, Junior Group Exhibit, “Click It: Buckle Up America”
• Steven, Olson Middle School, Bloomington. Third Place, Junior Individual Website, “Life is a Highway: How the Interstate Highway System Transformed Everyday Life in America”

Other top finishers from Minnesota:

• Charlie, Emmett, Peter, Murray Middle School, St. Paul. Sixth Place. Junior Group Documentary, “The Seven Countries Study”
• Alayna, Renn, Mankato West High School, Mankato. Seventh Place, Senior Group Website, “The Six Who Sat: A Turning Point in Long Distance Running”
• Grace, Salk STEM Middle School, Elk River. Ninth Place, Junior Individual Performance, “Ida Tarbell: A Turning Point in Journalism, Politics, Business, and Law”

Other award winners from Minnesota:

• Charlie, Emmett, Peter, Murray Middle School, St. Paul. Outstanding Affiliate Entry, Junior Group Documentary, “The Seven Countries Study”
• Alayna, Renn, Mankato West High School, Mankato. Outstanding Affiliate Entry,, Senior Group Website, “The Six Who Sat: A Turning Point in Long Distance Running”

Honorable Mention Awards are presented to entries that ranked in the second place in the first-round of judging. While these entries were not eligible for the final-round of competition, their outstanding scholarship is recognized as Honorable Mention:

• Evan, DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis. Senior Paper,  “A Burning Monk”
• Divya, South View Middle School, Edina. Junior Individual Documentary, “Katherine Johnson: Freedom 7 and NASA Trailblazer”
• Karu, Owen, DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis. Senior Group Documentary, “The Pinnacle of Profound: The Films of Stanley Kubrick”
• Layne, Byron Middle School, Byron. Junior Individual Performance, “The New York Newsie Strike of 1899”
• Abby, Beatrice, Charley, Maisy, Open World Learning Community, St. Paul. Junior Group Performance, “Griswold v. Connecticut: A Turning Point in Reproductive Rights”
• Cecilia, Marissa, Paxton, Christ’s Household of Faith School, St. Paul. Junior Group Performance, “The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers”
• Sylvia, Murray Middle School, St. Paul. Junior Individual Website, “Courage and Grit: Virginia Hall the Spy that Helped Win World War I

Throughout the week of the contest, several Minnesota students were recognized in project showcases from sponsoring institutions:

• Caroline, DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis.  Senior Paper, “A New Colossus: The Johnson-Reed Act of 1924,” showcased with the White House Historical Association, which included a Writer’s Workshop at the White House Visitors Center.
• Evan, DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis. Senior Paper, “The Burning Monk,” showcased with the White House Historical Association, which included a Writer’s Workshop at the White House Visitors Center.
• Sammy, Dylan, Sam, and Tyler, Sunrise Park Middle School, White Bear Lake. Junior Group Exhibit, “Brown v. Board of Education,” showcased at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

About National History Day in Minnesota
National History Day in Minnesota is a co-curricular historical research program that builds college readiness and communication skills for middle and high school students. The program is sponsored by the Minnesota Historical Society.

Program support is also provided by the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. 

The Minnesota Historical Society is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history. Visit us at mnhs.org.