March 5, 2024 -- Over 70 Students from Shaker Heights High School and 3 Shaker Heights Middle School students competed this past Saturday at Regionals for the National History Day competition. Over half of our students earned the opportunity to compete at Ohio’s National History Day competition in April, and 4 additional students also won Special Prizes for their work illuminating diverse topics of both national and local importance. Thirty-seven students are advancing to states, with 15 projects from Shaker Heights High School and one project from Shaker Heights Middle School.
High School students work with Individuals and Societies teachers Sarah Davis and Joseph Konopinski, and Middle School students work with David Soluga. Students also work with librarian Robin Sweigert, who works weekly with the National History Day club, and Paul Kelly and Chuck Kelly at the Shaker Writing Center.
The Regional National History Day competition, in its 50th year, is hosted by the Cleveland History Center at University Circle. Congratulations to all of our students!
Special Prizes
Shaker Library Research Award
A Contradictory Turning Point: The US Occupation of Haiti
Julia Koops
Category: Junior Individual Documentary
Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve Award
River Fires Everywhere: The Sacrifice of Cleveland´s Reputation for Environmental Justice
Spencer Ulchak
Category: Senior Individual Documentary
Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve Award
Architect of Industry: Unraveling the Legacy of John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Company
Henry Augustine, Henry Barrera, Gavin Ersepke
Category: Senior Group Exhibit
Category Results
Shaker Middle School Champs Pick
A Contradictory Turning Point: The US Occupation of Haiti
Julia Koops
Senior Individual Documentary
Third Place
Female Directors in Hollywood: From Silent to Silenced
Isabel Siegel
Senior Group Documentary
Third Place
Miles Davis and the Transformation of American Music
Jonah Paponetti, David Rhodes
Second Place
MTV: The Revolution That Rocked America
Jack Dunn, Augustus Grey, Spencer Zbanek
Senior Individual Exhibit
Third Place
A Turning Point in History: Social Security Act of 1935
Shane Karlowicz Jr
First Place
Fission to Fallout: How the Atomic Bomb Changed the World
Lara Sesenoglu-Laird
Senior Group Exhibit
Honorable Mention
Born to Revolutionize Women in World War II
Mia Anthony, Arabella Kielbasa
Third Place
The Accomplishments of Billie Jean King
Maya Kestin, Sloane Gurney, Caroline Niess, Katherine Adams
Second Place
Highway Revolution: The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956
Jacob Clellen, Bernat Corcelles Huerta, Robert (Huck) Weinberg
First Place
Ms.: A Movement Beyond the Magazine
Eleanor Allan, Alexa Carpenter, Molly Milligan, Audrey Steinmetz
Senior Group Performance
Third Place
Kent State Tragedy: A Turning Point in Anti-War Protests
Luca Arnoldi, Isaac Hren, Charles Griest, Loukas White
First Place
Loving vs Virginia : A Story of Trials and Triumph
Myles Hills, Sarah Holbrook, Leah Reymann
Senior Individual Website
Third Place
Fighters for Racial Change: The Tuskegee Airmen
Asa Zeigler
Senior Group Website
Third Place
Unlocking the Mind: How the Publication of Patricia Goldman-Rakic's Scientific Journals Marked a Turning Point in Brain Science
Abby Hahnenberg, Kelsey Rogers
Second Place
The Brady Bill: A New Era In Gun Control Politics
William Coffey, Talia Kansal, Nathaniel Price, Parisa Tendulkar
Senior Paper
Second Place
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution: A Turning Point in United States Politics
Mason Zhang