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Photo courtesy of Jocelyn Goldstein (10-2)
Each year, students from across the country engage in long-term research projects that highlight historical events, people, and ideas as part of National History Day (NHD). Masterman sophomores are required to write an NHD research paper in African American History class on a topic of their choosing relating to the annual theme; this year's theme was “Frontiers in History: People, Places, and Ideas.”
For most students, the submission of their final paper provided a sense of relief. For those continuing the NHD journey, however, the submission represented the first step of a longer journey. Students competing at NHD Philly would either add to their papers or create a new project based on their research. For those electing a new project, the categories included original exhibit, documentary, website, or performance.
Thirty-five students took this opportunity and began meeting every Thursday at lunch with Ms.Taylor and their assigned mentors. Those mentors provide critical advice and guidance, consisting of former NHD competitors who volunteer their time to current project makers. Historically, Masterman students have done well at all three stages of the competition: regionals, states, and nationals. Most notably, Masterman alumni Gulliana Alleva (Class of 2022) placed third nationally with her individual documentary in 2020.
On Thursday, March 16th, NHD competitors from across the city filed into the National Constitution Center to present their projects to a panel of judges. Ms. Taylor commenced the event with a “History on three!” chant, which subsided the nerves of the competitors. With a mix of anxiousness and excitement, the group went their separate ways and traveled to their designated judging rooms to begin the interview process. Each student responded to the judges’ series of thought-provoking questions to demonstrate their knowledge of their subject. After every project was scored, the four best projects of each category were chosen to move on to states. The winners were announced in a ceremony filled with gratitude and support.
After having time to reflect on the NHD project, the majority of students agree that it was worth their time and hard work. Rory Gonzales (10-2) said, “it teaches you a lot, and it might be stressful, but it's totally worth it in the end.” Her partner Ana Sorrentino (10-4) agreed: “It's a really good experience to develop your research skills. I also think it’s good to be able to promote something you're proud of in front of other people and be able to really talk about it.” Cyrus Fisher (10-2) noted that “getting to see all these peoples' projects [was my favorite part] because we all worked so hard on them. I loved seeing all the research and artistic ability that culminated in the presentations.” All the contestants were appreciative of the teacher sponsor, Ms. Taylor, who made Masterman’s participation possible, provided valuable feedback, and made everything run smoothly. Huge congratulations to all the students who will be competing at states in late April!
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