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Aldine ISD Students Advance to State History Day Competition
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Aldine ISD students showcased their research skills, creativity, and passion for history during the 2025–2026 History Day season, advancing dozens of projects from the district level to regional and state competitions.
This year’s National History Day theme, “Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History,” challenged students to examine pivotal moments that reshaped societies and sparked lasting change. Aldine ISD’s District History Day was held Dec. 5, 2025, with participation from middle and high schools across the district.
In total, 624 students presented 321 original projects, competing against peers within their grade levels. Students investigated primary and secondary sources to create projects in five categories — historical paper, performance, documentary, exhibit, and website — either individually or in groups of up to five.
“History Day prepares students with the skills they need to succeed in college, careers, and civic life,” said Deborah Johnson, Aldine ISD program director of secondary social studies. “Students learn how to conduct in-depth research, analyze complex information, collaborate with peers, and clearly communicate their ideas — skills that extend far beyond the classroom. Through History Day, our students are not only studying history, they are building the critical thinking and academic confidence that will serve them well in whatever path they choose next.”
Advancing to Regionals
First- and second-place projects from each category advanced to Aldine Regional History Day, held Jan. 30, 2026. Students refined their work using feedback from district judges and competed as Junior Division students (grades 6–8) or Senior Division students (grades 9–12). A small group of fifth-grade students also participated in the Elementary Poster Contest.
A total of 178 students representing 86 projects advanced from the district competition to regionals.
On to Texas History Day
From the regional competition, 35 projects from 17 Aldine ISD campuses — representing 70 students — qualified for Texas History Day, scheduled for April 11 in Austin. Approximately 1,200 students from 20 regions across Texas will compete at the state level.
Texas History Day is affiliated with National History Day, where the top two projects in each category at the state level advance to the national competition. Aldine ISD has a long-standing tradition of excellence in historical research, sending students to the national competition for more than 35 consecutive years.Celebrating Student Achievement
Students explored a wide range of topics aligned to this year’s theme, including civil rights, education reform, global revolutions, cultural movements, public health, labor rights, women’s rights, and technological change. Projects reflected not only strong historical understanding, but also critical thinking, collaboration, and effective communication — skills that align with Aldine ISD’s commitment to preparing students for college, careers, and civic life.
A complete list of Aldine Regional History Day award recipients, including first-, second-, and honorable-mention winners across all divisions and categories, is included below.
Congratulations to all participating students, their teachers, and campus teams for their dedication to academic excellence and for continuing Aldine ISD’s proud History Day legacy.
Aldine Regional History Day Results
Elementary Division Elementary Individual Poster
- 1st Place: Evelyn Aguirre, Bussey Elementary School
Title — Greed and Justice: How the Osage Murders Helped Shape the Early FBI
Teacher: Raquel Longoria
Junior Division Group Documentary
- 1st Place: Carston Jones & Cydney Jones, Jones Middle School
Title: The Navajo Code Talkers 1942
Teacher: Anthony Hill - 2nd Place: Natahlie Bravo & Isabella Cardenas — Stovall Middle School
Title — Reform on Trial: Child Labor, Congress, and the Keating – Owen Act
Teacher: Raquel Longoria - 3rd Place: Aaron Campos & Anthony Díaz — Jones Middle School
Title — Revolution on the Field: How the NCAA Rose from Reform and Reaction
Teachers: Jacob Cervantes & Anthony Hill
Senior Division Group Documentary
- 1st Place: Lizbeth Hernández, Jennifer Morales Hernández, Kenny Nguyen, James Stevens & Benjamin Turcios — Victory Early College High School
Title — Echoes of Harlem: Identity Across Time
Teacher: Kabara Gibson - 2nd Place: Byanca Arteaga, Guadalupe Martínez, Diana Sánchez & Anelle Treviño — Carver High School
Title: The Power of IX
Teacher: Dominic Hammock - 3rd Place (tie): Alejandro Garza, Sarahi Orellana, Abizael Robles & Héctor Sierra — Blanson CTE High School
Title — Free to Fear: How America’s Missing Children Epidemic Revolutionized and Reformed Parenting Forever
Teachers: Vannessa Guerra & Samantha Yonan - 3rd Place (tie): Allen Hampton, Johnny Kelley & Chamaiya Pearson — Carver High School
Title — Lift Every Voice: How Black Theater Revolutionized Art Itself
Teacher: Marketta Hill
Junior Division Group Exhibit
- 1st Place: Dominic Hernández, Jonathan Ogendiz, Dante Tamez & Erick Vicente — Hambrick Middle School
Title: The Secrets of Vietnam
Teacher: Angela Medel - 2nd Place: Abigail Aranda, Krysstal Flores & Mia Telles — Jones Middle School
Title — The Technological Revolution: The Digital Age
Teacher: Shaston Marks - 3rd Place: Dominique Backstrom, Jaylyn Ramírez & Isabella Solano — Mead Middle School
Title: The Revolution of Transportation
Teacher: LaToya Landry
Senior Division Group Exhibit
- 1st Place: Daniela Cruz & Melanie Tamez — Blanson High School
Title — Watergate Legacy: National Reaction, Political Revolution, and Historic Reform
Teacher: Samantha Yonan - 2nd Place: Annabelle Flores-Balderas & Mia González — Blanson High School
Title — A New Voice in the Classroom: The Legacy of the Bilingual Education Act of 1968
Teacher: Vannessa Guerra 
3rd Place: Eric Gallegos, Jennifer Gámez, Jocelyn García & Hailey Mullikin — MacArthur High School
Title: HANS Device
Teacher: Caitlyn Soden- Honorable Mention: Ángela Botello, Car’Ynne Moore & Angie Ortez — Blanson High School
Title — The Echoes of War: How World War I Inspired an Artistic Revolution
Teacher: Samantha Yonan
Junior Division Group Performance
- 1st Place: Alex Barraza, Darien Francis, Rishan Gonsalves, Melanie McFarland & David Ruiz — Jones Middle School
Title: Revolution and Reaction of the Taiping Rebellion
Teacher: Anthony Hill - 2nd Place: Elyse Delgado, Zuriel Djoumbi & Leah Ulloa — Grantham Middle School
Title: Dancing Plague
Teacher: Meagan Zlatich 
3rd Place: Brielle Grogan, Santiago Pacheco, Ma’kyah Price & Linzi Simmons — Jones Middle School
Title: The Founding Fathers
Teacher: Shaston Marks- Honorable Mention: Maryori Arita, Génesis Mendoza & Evelin Rodríguez — García Middle School
Title: Women of Revolution: Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony, and Sojourner Truth
Teacher: Lyndsey Mcmillan
Senior Division Group Performance
- 1st Place: Jazmín Alvarenga, Naomi Calderón, Alexander Rodríguez & Lilianna Ruiz — Blanson High School
Title — Justice Denied: Guatemala’s Forgotten Wounds
Teacher: Samantha Yonan - 2nd Place: Valeria Banda, Esli Cano, Adrian Luna, Andrew Ramírez & Miranda Reyna — Avalos P-TECH School
Title — The Texas Revolution: Through the Eyes of The Mexican Nation
Teacher: Samantha Cruz
Junior Division Group Website
- 1st Place: Chris Covarrubias & Roberto Rodríguez — Mead Middle School
Title: The Development of Space Research During the Space Race
Teacher: Marife Rosario - 2nd Place: Sofía Gómez, Bárbara Manríquez & Malia Saengchanh — García Middle School
- Title: Fries’s Rebellion
Teacher: Lyndsey Mcmillan - 3rd Place: Evangeline Espitia & Harley Okorn — Mead Middle School
Title: The Haitian Revolution
Teacher: LaToya Landry
Senior Division Group Website
- 1st Place: Norma Erazo, Giang Hoang, Priscilla Lovaton & Pham Minh Huy Ngu — La Promesa
Title — From Screens to Society: The Revolution, Reaction, and Reform of PBS Children’s Programs
Teachers: Dulce Griffin & Christopher Martínez - 2nd Place: Camila Aranda & Lakisha Cardozo — Blanson High School
Title — Space Race: American Education After Sputnik
Teacher: Samantha Yonan - 3rd Place: Miranda Garza & Alejandra Pérez — MacArthur High School
Title: The Radium Girls
Teacher: Caitlyn Soden
Junior Division Individual Documentary
- 1st Place: Jordan Jackson, Jones Middle School
Title: The Wilmington Resurrection
Teacher: Anthony Hill - 2nd Place: Antwon Liwis, Jones Middle School
Title: Pure Food and Drug Act 1906
Teacher: Shaston Marks - 3rd Place: Amiya Blaylock, Jones Middle School
Title — Punk Rock: The 1970’s Revolution
Teacher: Shaston Marks - Honorable Mention: De’Mari Tobías, Jones Middle School
Title: The Louisiana Purchase
Teacher: Jameka Sweats
Senior Division Individual Documentary
- 1st Place: Fernanda Fernández, Carver High School
Title — The Little Rock Nine Crisis: Courage That Transformed America
Teacher: Marketta Hill - 2nd Place: Carmen Williams, MacArthur High School
Title: The Love Canal Disaster
Teacher: Caitlyn Soden
Junior Division Individual Exhibit
- 1st Place: Brielle Howard, Jones Middle School
Title: Black Wall Street
Teacher: Shaston Marks - 2nd Place: Sophia Olivera, Jones Middle School
Title: Yellow Journalism
Teacher: Jacob Cervantes - 3rd Place: Andrea de la Riva, Shotwell Middle
Title: The Chinese Revolution
Teacher: Nicole McCray - Honorable Mention: María Guerrero, Stovall Middle School
Title — Sculpting Revolt: Art That Shaped Revolutions
Teacher: Raquel Longoria
Senior Division Individual Exhibit
- 1st Place: Orlean Antoinette Macalalad, Young Women’s Leadership Academy
Title — People Power Revolution: How the EDSA Revolution of 1986 Redefined Democracy in the Philippines
Teacher: Zara Dehri - 2nd Place: Gleybert Velázquez, Blanson High School
Title: Buried Poisons and Broken Promises
Teachers: Vannessa Guerra & Samantha Yonan - 3rd Place: Amy Roman, Blanson High School
Title — San Francisco of 1934: Revolutionizing Labor Through Resistance
Teacher: Vannessa Guerra
Junior Division Individual Performance
- 1st Place: Dellivon Frazier, Drew Academy
Title: The Young Black Education
Teacher: Lakecia Mathis
Senior Division Individual Performance
- 1st Place: Sulexy Almanza, La Promesa
Title — From Ignorance to Ideology: Cuba’s 1961 Literacy Campaign as a Catalyst for Social Revolution and Reform
Teachers: Dulce Griffin & Christopher Martínez
Junior Division Individual Website
- 1st Place: Joy Todd, Drew Academy
Title: The Rise of Oil Companies in Houston and Labor Reactions
Teacher: Lakecia Mathis - 2nd Place: Abigail Flores, Shotwell Middle
Title: The Beast Machine Theory of Consciousness (Animal Welfare)
Teacher: Nicole McCray - 3rd Place: Diana Santamaría, Lewis Middle School
Title: Public Reaction to Heaven’s Gate Mass Suicide
Teacher: Aiden Bice
Honorable Mention: Anaya Fuentes-Hernández, Shotwell Middle School
Title — World War II: Start, End, and Aftermath
Teacher: Nicole McCray
Senior Division Individual Website
- 1st Place: Alyzae Gonzales, MacArthur High School
Title: Loving v. Virginia
Teacher: Caitlyn Soden - 2nd Place: Kali Patton, Carver Magnet High School
Title — Title IX: Revolution, Reaction, Reform, Equality in Progress
Teachers: Dominic Hammock, Christopher Junious & Ross Rowney - 3rd Place: Melanie Mohamed, Carver High School
Title: Native American Boarding Schools
Teacher: Marketta Hill
Junior Division Paper
- 1st Place: Camila Cruz, Stovall Middle School
Title — From Forced Removal to Cultural Revival: Reforming Native American Education
Teacher: Raquel Longoria - 2nd Place: Samantha Rodríguez, Plummer Middle School
Title: Fighting Invisible Enemies
Teacher: Angela Thomas - 3rd Place: Madison Proshee, Plummer Middle School
Title — The Meiji Restoration: Revolution, React, Reform in the 19th Century
Teacher: Janelle Haley - Honorable Mention: Anesia Tatum, Drew Academy
Title: Public Health, Racism, and the Lasting Impact of Hospital Care
Teacher: Bryonna Stubbs
Senior Division Paper
- 1st Place: Tahia Bhuiyan, Carver High School
Title — The Berlin Wall: A Collapsed Wall Symbolic of One Reuniting Nation’s Rise
Teacher: Dominic Hammock - 2nd Place: Lauren Reynolds, Carver High School
Title — The Lavender Scare: Fear and Resistance in Cold War America
Teacher: Dominic Hammock - Honorable Mention: London Leblanc, Eisenhower Ninth Grade School
Title — A League of Their Own: The Revolutionary Creation of Black Professional Baseball
Teacher: Fandell Walker
About the Author: Leticia Fehling
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