2016 District History Day Winners Announced
The history fair program prepares students for college, careers and civic life.
[dropcap color=”#888″ type=”square”]T[/dropcap]he first major round of history fair competition judging is over. More than 90 individual and group projects will advance to the regional competition.
Nimitz HS — Natalie Garza, Makayla Jefferson, Billy Toledo, Gabriel Guzmán and Sayfaldin Thabit at the 2015 National History Day event at the University of Maryland.
More than 280 students’ earned first, second, third and honorable mention medals. The top two winners in each category now have their eyes on the regional and state events. They all hope to advance to the national competition.
Every year [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]National History Day (NHD) frames students’ research within a historical theme. The 2016 theme is “Exploration, Encounter & Exchange in History.” The annual theme gives students a chance to focus on a person, group or historical event.
Their research of the past helps them gain a better understanding of our world today. The goal is that students develop an understanding of people and societies.
Study shows National History Day program boosts school performance and job skills.
Nimitz HS students interview Dr. Jay Edwards, a professor at LSU.
There is research to back the value of taking part in history fair programs. A [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]nationwide study in 2011 concluded that students who participate in the program do well in school. The study included Aldine ISD.
The study shows that NHD students perform better on high-stakes tests. The students develop into better writers as well as more confident and capable researchers. Student also develop a more mature perspective on current events. They are also have higher civic engagement than their peers. Other skills gained include collaboration, time management and perseverance. These are all skills employers say are lacking in today’s workforce.
As for the district winners, they are fine tuning their projects. The regional contest is set for Mar. 4 at the Aldine Staff Development Center. Regional winners will advance to the state competition later this spring.
History is more than mere facts and dates. Students learn to dig deeper into historical content to develop perspective and understanding.
Congratulations and good luck at regionals!
District Results
6th Grade
Group Documentary
1st Place — Tiffany Gomez, Graciela de la Cuesta & Karla Sanchez
Project: The Master of Silence
Campus: Parker Intermediate
2nd Place — Darnell Celestin, Oscar Chagolla, Jordy Ceballos, Daniel Martinez & Ja’Quadry Limbrick
Project: Martyr of Science
Campus: Parker Intermediate
3rd Place — Anaya Jones & Gianna Benjamin
Project: Pan African
Campus: Houston Academy
Honorable Mention — Daniel Maldonado & Benjamin Lima
Project: Social Media Giant
Campus: Eckert Intermediate
Individual Documentary
1st Place — Griselda Ortiz
Project: Apollo 11
Campus: Reed Academy
2nd Place — Cecilia Coreas
Project: Andy Warhol
Campus: Reed Academy
3rd Place — Angelina Rodriguez
Project: War of 1812
Campus: Reed Academy
Group Performance
1st Place — Aaliyah Callaway & Alicia Garza
Project: Anne Frank
Campus: Reed Academy
2nd Place — Karen Zelaya, A’Mya Thompson & Britney Segovia
Project: Madame CJ Walker
Campus: Reed Academy
3rd Place — Arianna Phelps & Courtnie Frazier
Project: Guiding Hands
Campus: Rayford Intermediate
Individual Performance
1st Place — Isabella D’Aubuisson
Project: Sacagawea
Campus: Rayford Intermediate
2nd Place — Mayline Garcia
Project: Marie Curie
Campus: Reed Academy
Grade Historical Paper
1st Place — Lynton Edwards
Project: The Silk Road
Campus: Reed Academy
2nd Place — Leslie Vera
Project: Alexander Fleming
Campus: Hill Intermediate
3rd Place — Samiyah Kabir
Project: Everything You Need to Know About Anne Frank
Campus: Rayford Intermediate
Group Website
1st Place — Jennifer Guerrero & America Flores
Project: Apollo 11
Campus: Reed Academy
2nd Place — Jaelyn Lane, Nayelly Ramirez & McGrover Odili
Project: The Black Death
Campus: Reed Academy
3rd Place — Jesús Delgado & Alexander Guel
Project: Atomic Bombings on Japan
Campus: Rayford Intermediate
Individual Website
1st Place — Laila Adams
Project: Unsung Rosies
Campus: Rayford Intermediate
2nd Place — Aimee Mahindaratne
Project: Leonardo da Vinci
Campus: Reed Academy
3rd Place — Miriam Uresti
Project: Roanoke Colony
Campus: Reed Academy
Group Exhibit
1st Place — Ariel Jacob, Daniela Gaspar & Erika Sanchez
Project: Union Pacific Railroad
Campus: Rayford Intermediate
2nd Place — Anthony Anderson, Alexander Baltazar, Ronald Ramos & Daniel Gonzales
Project: Apollo 11
Campus: Caraway Intermediate
3rd Place — Christina Sanchez, Mayra Sanchez & Josylynn Guerrero
Project: Peloponnesian War
Campus: Reed Academy
Individual Exhibit
1st Place — Eva Davila
Project: Minnie Fisher Cunningham
Campus: Wilson Intermediate
2nd Place — Huda Badat
Project: The Challenger Disaster
Campus: Wilson Intermediate
3rd Place — Hailey Robinson
Project: The Middle Passage
Campus: Reed Academy
Honorable Mention — Mariana Ninoderivera
Project: The Father of Epidemiology
Campus: Reed Academy
7th Grade
Group Documentary
1st Place — Heather Omouryi, Hannah Omouryi & Alessandra Segovia
Project: The Exploration Encounters of Alexandra David-Neel
Campus: Lewis MS
2nd Place — Michael Avila, Anna de la Cuesta & Melisa Sanchez
Project: Athens vs. Sparta
Campus: Lewis MS
Group Performance
1st Place — Brayan Moreno-Mares & Aaron Ramirez
Project: The Black Plague
Campus: Hambrick MS
Individual Performance
1st Place — Laila Chinn
Project: The Fatal Deception
Campus: Grantham Academy
2nd Place — Jessica Lozoya
Project: Behind the Shock
Campus: Grantham Academy
Historical Paper
1st Place — Suchanut Namcharoen
Project: Penicillin: A Medical Revelation
Campus: Shotwell MS
2nd Place — Jerome Stallworth
Project: Sir Alexander McKenzie
Campus: Lewis MS
Group Website
1st Place — Jocelyn Goodman, Amari McKinney, Amere Hordge Watkins & Corinthians Ciete
Project: The Exploration of Women in the 1920s
Campus: Lewis MS
2nd Place — Alejandra Arroyo & Desiree Fernandez
Project: Seneca Falls Convention
Campus: Teague MS
3rd Place — Tanya Yanez & Alexa Cruz Flores
Project: Exchange of Disease
Campus: Lewis MS
Individual Website
1st Place — Kolby Patton
Project: Lewis and Clark
Campus: Drew Academy
2nd Place — Francean Houngbo
Project: A Grimm Response
Campus: Grantham Academy
3rd Place — Ben Johnson
Project: The Unwanted Exchange Between Great Britain and the United States
Campus: Stovall MS
Group Exhibit
1st Place — Karen Cordova, Gabriela Gonzalez & Kathy Nguyen
Project: IB International Education
Campus: Shotwell MS
2nd Place — Mia Paz, Anum Badat & Itzel Aguirre
Project: The Venetian Disaster
Campus: Plummer MS
3rd Place — Juan Herrera & Gabrial Haggerty
Project: BMW in World War 1 and World War 2
Campus: Hambrick MS
Individual Exhibit
1st Place — Kariz Scott
Project: Sacajawea: Louisiana’s Best Bet
Campus: Teague MS
2nd Place — Miguel Chacon
Project: Jonas Salk Versus Polio
Campus: Stovall MS
3rd Place — Gema Rodriguez
Project: Jacque Cartier
Campus: Stovall MS
8th Grade
Group Documentary
1st Place —Sabrina Prado, Giselle Villegas & Norma Rodriguez-Arguelles
Project: Encounters Between Law Enforcement and African Americans
Campus: Hambrick MS
Individual Documentary
1st Place — Jasmine Vital
Project: Exploration in Medicine: Polio Vaccine
Campus: Teague MS
2nd Place — Jassan Delsordo
Project: Apollo 13
Campus: Stovall MS
Group Performance
1st Place — Hannah Sutton & Devina Soto
Project: Dealey Plaza
Campus: Hambrick MS
Historical Paper
1st Place — Kealana Wolfe
Project: The Louisiana Purchase
Campus: Teague MS
2nd Place — Madison Flores
Project: World War 2 Brides
Campus: Hambrick MS
3rd Place (tie) — Diana Calderon
Project: Cultural Encounter … California Gold Rush
Campus: Stovall MS
3rd Place (tie) — Denise Cruz
Project: The Great Culture Divide: Pocahontas
Campus: Stovall MS
Group Website
1st Place — John Castaneda, Nicolas Gonzales, Elicabeth Manriquez, Jillian Nguyen & Samantha Salazar
Project: Robert Ballard
Campus: Lewis MS
2nd Place — Cinthia Rangel, Yessica Estrada, LaRencia Gilliam & Sonya Duran
Project: Galileo Galilei
Campus: Lewis MS
3rd Place — Adan Ramirez & Jerry Rodriguez
Project: Polio
Campus: Hambrick MS
Honorable Mention — Niya Daya & Taylor Veltz
Project: The Soul of Government
Campus: Teague MS
Individual Website
1st Place — Roland Rehes
Project: Larry Itliong and the Delano Menongs
Campus: Teague MS
2nd Place — Kameron Mason
Project: The Gifted Hands
Campus: Teague MS
3rd Place — Vina Tran
Project: Encountering the Epidemic of 1918
Campus: Stovall MS
Honorable Mention — Denise Cruz Diaz
Project: A Controversial Exploration … Galileo
Campus: Stovall MS
Group Exhibit
1st Place — Tatyana McClain & Han Van
Project: Percy Julian
Campus: Shotwell MS
2nd Place — Meredith Rosas & DeLizah Montenegro
Project: Galileo
Campus: Hambrick MS
3rd Place — Nilo Peralta & Noah Avila
Project: Apollo 13
Campus: Hambrick MS
Individual Exhibit
1st Place — Ray Barrera
Project: Punch Drunk
Campus: Teague MS
2nd Place — Kierra Joseph
Project: Ruby: The Brave Soldier
Campus: Drew Academy
9th Grade
Group Documentary
1st Place — Reece Brown, Paola Gomez, Esteban Ramirez, Yvonne Garcia & Gabriela Aguirre
Project: When East Meets West
Campus: Nimitz Ninth Grade
Group Performance
1st Place — Lesly Arana, Kayla Mazariego & Ellian Gomez
Project: Osa Johnson
Campus: Davis Ninth Grade
Historical Paper
1st Place — Angel Vega Torres
Project: The Lost Colony of Roanoke
Campus: Aldine Ninth Grade
2nd Place — Omar Romero
Project: The Black Market
Campus: Eisenhower Ninth Grade
3rd Place — Diana Castro Rodriguez
Project: Hernan Cortes
Campus: MacArthur Ninth Grade
Honorable Mention — Jada Ellis
Project: Margaret Mead
Campus: Davis Ninth Grade
Group Website
1st Place — Andrew Fombang, Alousius Fombang, Alejandro Rico & Bryce Wells
Project: Into the Arctic
Campus: Nimitz Ninth Grade
2nd Place — Devanny Jimenez & Elena Giles
Project: Kennedy vs. Nixon Debates
Campus: Aldine Ninth Grade
3rd Place — Antonio Huerta, Harrison Sao, Henry Pham, Robert Ventura & Jesús Villa
Project: The Pandemic of 1918
Campus: Aldine Ninth Grade
Individual Website
1st Place — Andrea Luna
Project: Conquering India
Campus: MacArthur Ninth Grade
2nd Place — Mimi Nguyen
Project: Discovery of the New World
Campus: Davis Ninth Grade
3rd Place — Ashlyn Walker
Project: Mental Health Awareness
Campus: Davis Ninth Grade
Group Exhibit
1st Place — Abigail Tack, Katarina Fernandez, Isabel Rivas & Jennifer Sifuentes
Project: Beebe and Barton
Campus: Nimitz Ninth Grade
2nd Place (tie) — Kenia Guevara, Allaiza Santiago & Angelina Sorn
Project: Leonardo da Vinci
Campus: Davis Ninth Grade
2nd Place (tie) — Nahomy Moneivail, Carolina Mendez, Cecilia Pedraza & Jennifer Nguyen
Project: Jim Jones
Campus: Davis Ninth Grade
3rd Place — Sharon Guerrero & Ariana Guerrero
Project: Too Good to be True
Campus: MacArthur Ninth Grade
Individual Exhibit
1st Place — Eduardo Flores
Project: Leon Trotsky
Campus: Davis Ninth Grade
2nd Place — Shi Yu
Project: Jacques Cousteau
Campus: Nimitz Ninth Grade
10th Grade
Group Documentary
1st Place — Tatiana Rivas, Jazmin Navarro, Lauryn Cornish & Lauren Martinez
Project: El Patron
Campus: Carver HS
2nd Place — Joe Garcia & Bishop Pearsall
Project: Jobs EX3
Campus: Carver HS
Group Performance
1st Place — Jacqueline Hernandez, Ana Pedraza, Beatriz Lara, Monica Lopez & Estafani Tello
Project: The Recipe for Sesame Street
Campus: Nimitz HS
Historical Paper
1st Place — Heidy Godoy
Project: From Blight to Bountiful
Campus: Nimitz HS
2nd Place — Juana Garcia
Project: Dorothea Dix
Campus: Carver HS
3rd Place — Jasmine Garcia
Project: The North and South Poles
Campus: Carver HS
Group Website
1st Place — Ahreaile Holly, Bailey Henderson, Shamar Fortune & Talia Chinn
Project: Brain Dead
Campus: Carver HS
2nd Place — Jenisha Patel & Bertha Sagreiros
Project: The Walt Disney Company
Campus: MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Kayla Robinson & Hadiya Dyer
Project: Civil War
Campus: Eisenhower HS
Individual Website
1st Place — Denisse Cordova
Project: Ada Lovelace
Campus: MacArthur HS
Group Exhibit
1st Place — Juliette Alvarez, Chloe Nguyen, Diana Nguyen, Sierra Juarez & Alondra Sanchez
Project: The Challenger Disaster
Campus: Eisenhower HS
2nd Place — Jennifer Torres, Alejandra Avalos & Diane Martinez
Project: Gunpowder
Campus: MacArthur HS
Individual Exhibit
1st Place — Ray Quintana
Project: A Double-Edged Helix
Campus: Nimitz HS
Group Documentary
1st Place — Victor Robles, Anthony Molina & Alexander Perez
Project: Open Doors Broken System
Campus: Davis HS
2nd Place — Maia Davis, India Sherman & Courtney Bankston
Project: Harlem Renaissance
Campus: Carver HS
3rd Place — Victoria Basulto & Lessette Carrera
Project: The Farm Boy Who Reached the Stars
Campus: Victory Early College HS
11th Grade
Historical Paper
1st Place — Juana Mendoza
Project: Utopian Societies
Campus: MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Jada Haynes
Project: Heart Disease: DeBakey
Campus: MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Gianna Sorola
Project: The Power of Perception
Campus: MacArthur HS
Group Website
1st Place — Elvis Lainez, Vyanca Carlos, Dawayne Thomas, Gladys Gonzalez & Isaac Veloz
Project: In the Shadow of Mount Everest
Campus: Nimitz HS
2nd Place — Angel Tirado, Elionenai Garcia & Bryant Acosta
Project: The Marshall Plan
Campus: MacArthur HS
3rd Place (tie) — Samantha Tovias, Julissa Olivares, Osirus Lux & Alejandrea Rodriguez
Project: Herbicide Orange
Campus: Aldine HS
3rd Place (tie) — Paul Vu, Alex Elizondo, Dakota Barnett, Tyree Jackson & Briana Releford
Project: Pablo Escobar’s Exploration
Campus: Carver HS
Individual Website
1st Place — Jacob Peacock
Project: Dead Man’s Deception
Campus: Nimitz HS
2nd Place — Joanna Jimenez
Project: Animation: The Art of Movement
Campus: Victory Early College HS
3rd Place — Adrian Gonzalez
Project: The New York Stock Exchange
Campus: MacArthur HS
Group Exhibit
1st Place — Edith Hernandez, Celeste Carter, Brianna Garcia, Carolina Chala & Isaiah Thomas
Project: The Exploration of the American Woodsman
Campus: Nimitz HS
2nd Place — Arecely Lara, Alma Pena, Ingris Pereira & Ana Cahuantzi Juarez
Project: For Love and War
Campus: MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Alyssa Ramos & Julio Ramirez
Project: Buddy Holly
Campus: MacArthur HS
Individual Exhibit
1st Place — Allen Singleton
Project: The Little Rock Nine Encounter
Campus: Carver HS
2nd Place — Eric Pena
Project: NASA’s Manned Space Flight
Campus: MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Jonathan Zamora
Project: The Truman Doctrine
Campus: MacArthur HS
12th Grade
Group Documentary
1st Place — Gerardo Salazar, Jennifer Soriano, Mayam Memon, Hector Salinas & Samuel Veloz
Project: A Place Where the Past Continues to Live
Campus: Nimitz HS
2nd Place — Jeffery Chaidez, Juan Herrera, Mike Galmamaz & Cristian Lara
Project: Plato o Plomo
Campus: MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Karina Puente & Jesus Llanas
Project: Rosalind Franklin
Campus: MacArthur HS
Individual Documentary
1st Place — Brent Vela
Project: The Fever of War
Campus: Nimitz HS
Group Performance
1st Place — Brianna Rodriguez, Treat Carrier & Mykaelan Flournoy
Project: Music as it Corresponds to MJ, Whitney and Selena
Campus: Carver HS
2nd Place — Andres Reyna, Geizi Rios, Jaciel Tenorio, Joe Lopez & Anthony Cerda
Project: The Space Race
Campus: MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Bobby Morales, Shivani Patel, Meredith Ferreyra, Guadalupe Hernendez & Bryant Leal
Project: The Lindy Hop
Campus: MacArthur HS
Individual Performance
1st Place — Luis Jimenez
Project: The Fight in the Fields
Campus: MacArthur HS
Historical Paper
1st Place (tie) — Ivan Delgado
Project: A New Era: NASA’s Apollo 11
Campus: Carver HS
1 Place (tie) — Ihsan Shafi
Project: Space Exploration and Exchange
Campus: Carver HS
3rd Place — Gabriala Ibarra
Project: Encounters with Mother Nature
Campus: MacArthur HS
Group Website
1st Place — Kaylah Anderson, Khairah Ali, Miquel Price, Daily Aguilar & Siboney Flores
Project: Charles Darwin and Evolution
Campus: Carver HS
2nd Place — Cecilia Gutierrez & Aleida Lopez
Project: Communication Beyond Sight and Hearing
Campus: MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Yesenia Sanchez, Makayla Francis, Sheree Tipps & Ronal Martinez
Project: Women’s Suffrage Movement
Campus: Davis HS
Individual Website
1st Place — Luis Moreno
Project: The Lomax Expedition
Campus: MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Beatriz Herrera
Project: Andrew Carnegie
Campus: Davis HS
Group Exhibit
1st Place — Victoria Smith & Kiran Kaleemuddin
Project: Iran Contra Affair
Campus: Carver HS
(History program directors provided the list.)
Read about the students who won at [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]NHD 2015 in D.C.
Read [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]past articles related to NHD.
About the Author: Leticia Fehling
