INDIANA — The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) proudly announces students have been selected to advance to the National History Day in Indiana (NHDI) State Contest after a successful South region contest on Saturday, February 24.
The contest included Brown, Hamilton, Hendricks, Lawrence, Marion, Monroe, Perry, Shelby, and Washington counties students.
Approximately 97 students took part in Saturday’s contest at Franklin College, with finalists advancing to the 2024 NHDI State Contest on April 20 at Marian University in Indianapolis.
NHDI is a yearlong program that enhances history education in Indiana’s schools. Students in grades four through 12 explore a historical subject that fits under the annual theme. This year’s theme is “Turning Points in History.” Students use their research to create a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. To reach the 2024 NHDI State Contest held at Marian University on April 20, students must qualify at one of six regional contests.
2024 South Contest Winner Report
Junior Paper
- “You Shouldn’t Be on the Sidelines Cheering for Other People. People Should Cheer For You.”: The Story of Katherine Switzer and the Turning Point for Women in Sports” – Adaline Adams (Brown County Middle School)
- “Tuning Points in History: The Great Ohio River Flood” – Maximillian Mundy (Homeschool) Junior Individual Documentary
- “Emmeline Pankhurst: A Turning Point in Women’s History” – Alison Scrader (Brown County Middle School)
Junior Group Documentary
- “Madam C.J. Walker: A Turning Point in History” – Hailey Phillips, Kristin Evans (Brown County Middle School)
Junior Individual Performance
- “Turning Points in WWII: Legacy of the 10th Mountain Division” – Aesop Birkemeier (Brown County Middle School)
Junior Individual Exhibit
- “The Battle of Hamburger Hill: A Turning Point in the Vietnam War” – Leyton Robertson (Brown County Middle School)
- “The History and Downfall of Plastics” – Jace Canada (Salem Middle School)
- “Chernobyl: The Importance to History” – Kaleb Ice (Brown County Middle School)
Junior Group Exhibit
- “Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott” – Allison Akers, Grace Hammond, Kinsley Hollowell (Salem Middle School)
- “Jackie Robinson Taking a Swing for Equality” – Jaden Doyle, Luke Ingram (Salem Middle School)
- “The Battle of Stalingrad” – Carson Bean, Leo Blanton, Will Dobson (Mitchell Jr. High School)
- “The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand” – Cole Cissna, Maddox Sparkman, Nolan Chastain (Salem Middle School)
Senior Paper
- “Cesar Chavez: Leader in Labor Movement” – Natalie Hortelano (Warren Central High School)
- “Why the Atomic Bomb was a Turning Point in History” – Donovan Motley (Warren Central High School)
Senior Individual Documentary
- “The Atom Bomb: A Turning Point in the American Psyche” – Genevieve Laguna (Brown County
- High School)
Senior Group Documentary
- “The Ex Parte Endo Case: Aftermath of the World War II Japanese-American Camps” – Alex Holsclaw, Colton McClure, Morgan Barnes, Westyn Weyrich (Plainfield High School)
- “The Indianapolis Motor Speedway: A Century of Growth” – Dominic Kyger, Elijah Eckroth, Lorenzo DiNardo, Nate Law, Noah Karam (Plainfield High School)
Senior Individual Performance
- “The POP Heard Around the World: How Popcorn Revolutionized American Society” – Grace Nie (Carmel High School)
- “The Legacy of Dupin: How Poe’s Invention of the Detective Story Changed Literature” – Cecilia Mundy (Homeschool)
Senior Group Performance
- “’The Wizard of Oz’ and Its Technicolor Advancements” – Camryn Leisher, Jenna Lucas, Katherin VanHooser, Mia Bammann (Plainfield High School)
- “Bonus Army March” – Dominic Alfaro, Manroop Cheema, Parker Lanham (Plainfield High School)
Senior Individual Website
- “Azusa Street Revival” – Isaac Favel (Plainfield High School)
- “The Eisenhower Highway System: Turning Point in American Transportation” – Benedict Mundy (Homeschool)
Senior Group Website
- “Ryan White’s Journey with AIDS: How He Changed the Way We View Diseases” – Eleanor Pies, Hannah Skaggs, Olivia Hess (Plainfield High School)
- “A Legacy of Labor Rights and Safety: How the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Changed the World:” – Aiden Arickz, Arpit Bassi, Eric Birge, Kendell Ohaya (Plainfield High School)
Senior Individual Exhibit
- “Count Back from 10” – Aubree Kerans (Plainfield High School)
- “The Computer Revolution” – Kennedy Kissick (Triton Central High School)
- “Exposing DDT: Silent Spring” – Edwin Rueda (Plainfield High School)
Senior Group Exhibit
- “The Equal Rights Amendment” – Kaitlyn Arbuckle, Tori Neiger (Triton Central High School)
- “Are You Kidneying Me?” – Ava Kirchoff, Laila Whitaker, Lilly Snider, Mia Propes (Plainfield High School)
- “Signs of Change” – Arjun Patel, Jonathan Hauck, Leo Heyob, Lincoln DePrez (Plainfield High School)
- “Amber Alert” – Cloe Olnick, Raven Knowles (Triton Central High School)
NHDI is a project-based, inquiry-based program that encourages students to explore their passions by conducting research, developing research questions, and exhibiting their individual learning styles by creating exhibits, documentaries, performances, papers, and websites.
Educators and students alike use NHDI because it allows them to build critical thinking, inquiry, analysis, and presentation skills through subjects the students are passionate about. Whether students create mini-projects in class or go to regional and state contests, educators and students share the control of the project.
NHDI is presented by Indiana Constructors, Inc., with support from Rooker Family Foundation and Vigran Family Foundation and made possible through a grant from Indiana Humanities in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities.
For more information, visit www.indianahistory.org/historyday or call 317-232-1882.
