2017 pennsylvania winners at the national history day competition

Pennsylvania students included one national champion, one second-place champion, and one third-place champion among many others at the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland in June 2017. The theme was "Taking a Stand in History." Our congratulations to all students!

National History Day (NHD) is a nonprofit education organization in College Park, Maryland. Established in 1974 NHD offers year-long academic programs that engage over half a million middle and high school students around the world annually in conducting original research on historical topics of interest (http://nhd.org).

For more information on the Pennsylvania and regional competition go to http://pa.nhd.org. Judges are key to the success of the National History Day program. If interested in participating, contact Jeff Hawks, NHD in PA Coordinator, at eddirector@armyheritage.org or 717-258-1102.

National Champion and National Endowment for the Humanities Scholar—Senior Individual Website

Title: "Beyond the Cardigan." Student: Joanna Harlacher; Teacher: Elizabeth Lewis; School: Donegal High School, Mount Joy, PA.

Second Place—Junior Individual Exhibit

Title: "Mary Beth Tinker: The Voice behind Student Free Speech." Student: Brendan Hung; Teacher: Joseph Echternach; School: Radnor Middle School, Bryn Mawr, PA.

Third Place—Senior Group Exhibit

Title: "A Force of Nature: Wangari Maathai Fights for the Environment and the People." Students: Sara Skwaryk, Rebecca Wahlenmayer, and Elizabeth Wahlenmayer; Teacher: Randy Styborski; School: Girard High School, Girard, PA.

The George Washington Leadership in History Award—Junior Individual Performance

Title: "Taking a Stand in the Shadows: The Culper Spy Ring during the Revolutionary War." Student: Lilianna Hug; Teacher: Annelise Carleton-Hug; School: Salamander Meadows Homeschool, Ohiopyle, PA.

Outstanding Entry from Pennsylvania—Junior Group Website

Title: "Quietly Taking a Stand in Every Neighborhood: How Mr. Rogers Changed Children's Television and Influenced Generations." Students: Isabelle Meyers, Henry Meyers; Teacher: Josh Elders; School: Peters Township Middle School, McMurray, PA.

Outstanding Entry from Pennsylvania—Senior Individual Performance

Title: "Rosa Parks: Taking a Stand by Sitting Down." Student: Sydney Altemose; Teacher: Eric Mark; School: Bishop McDevitt High School, Harrisburg, PA.

The following entries finished in the top ten:

Fifth Place—Junior Individual Performance

Title: "Taking a Stand in the Shadows: The Culper Spy Ring during the Revolutionary War." Student: Lilianna Hug; Teacher: Annelise Carleton-Hug; Category: Junior Individual Performance; School: Salamander Meadows Homeschool Ohiopyle, PA.

Fifth Place—Junior Group Website

Title: "Quietly Taking a Stand in Every Neighborhood: How Mr. Rogers Changed Children's Television and Influenced Generations." Students: Isabelle Meyers, Henry Meyers; Teacher: Josh Elders; School: Peters Township Middle School; McMurray, PA.

Sixth Place—Junior Individual Website

Title: "Hernando de Soto Polar: An Economic Answer to Terrorism." Student: Margaret Atkins; Teacher: Helena Ryder; School: Academy of Notre Dame De Namur, Villanova, PA.

Seventh Place—Senior Individual Performance

Title: "Rosa Parks: Taking a Stand by Sitting Down." Student: Sydney Altemose; Teacher: Eric Mark; School: Bishop McDevitt High School, Harrisburg, PA.

Tenth Place—Senior Paper

Title: ""God Rewards Fools"- Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman's Stand to Revolutionize Cryptography." Student: Chloe Makdad; Teacher: Jessica Hetrick; School: Tyrone Area High School, Tyrone, PA.

Figure 1.

Joanna Harlacher.

Figure 2.

Brendan Hung.

Figure 3.

Sydney Altemose.

Figure 4.

Sara Skwaryk, Rebecca Wahlenmayer, and Elizabeth Wahlenmayer.

Figure 5.

Lilianna Hug.

Figure 6.

Isabelle Meyers and Henry Meyers.

Figure 7.

Parade group photo.