Florida History Day

Students from Broward, Leon, Pinellas, Santa Rosa,
and Osceola Counties win big at national contest

Secretary of State Ken Detzner is pleased to announce that several Florida students from Broward, Leon, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, and Osceola Counties took home top honors at the National History Day (NHD) competition in College Park, Maryland, winning seven national awards and recognitions including three first-place finishes. Sixty-one students and 15 teachers represented Florida in the national competition at the University of Maryland, which was held June 11­­–15.
“This past May at the Florida History Day state contest in Tallahassee, I was thrilled to meet these young historians who spent months conducting research and developing their entries,” said Secretary of State Ken Detzner. “I’m proud and delighted that their hard work, creativity, and dedication has been recognized at the national contest.”
In order to proceed on to the National History Day competition, the students’ entries had previously won first or second place at the Florida History Day state contest in May, which was sponsored by the Museum of Florida History. The middle- and high-school students presented their findings in a documentary, historical paper, performance, exhibit, or website related to the 2016–17 theme, “Taking a Stand in History.” More than 66,000 students participated statewide, making Florida one of the largest programs among the 57 National History Day affiliates.
The national contest drew 3,040 students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and international schools in Southeast Asia. This year Florida students won several top honors.
Listed below are Florida’s national-level winners by county:
Broward County
1st Place, Junior Individual Exhibit
Maya Moise, American Heritage School
Service Not Servitude
Teacher: Leslie Porges
Leon County
1st Place, Senior Group Exhibit
Creed King and Kate Powell, Leon High School
“Law, Not War”: Benjamin Ferencz’s Lifelong Stand on Peace Through Justice
Teachers: Kate David and Jeanine Meis
Outstanding State Award—Senior Division
Kiera Thompson, Leon High School
Senior Individual Performance
Touissant L’Ouverture and the Haitian Revolution
Teacher: Jeanine Meis
Chaminade University Scholarship (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Creed King, Leon High School
Senior Group Exhibit
“Law, Not War”: Benjamin Ferencz’s Lifelong Stand on Peace Through Justice
Teachers: Kate David and Jeanine Meis
Pinellas County
Eagle Eye Citizen Award, Special Prize
Kyle Nguyen, Palm Harbor University High School
Senior Group Website
The Revolutionary Reforms of Jacob A. Riis: Bringing Light to America’s Dark Half
Teachers: Jason Tsardoulias and Shaun Falcon
Santa Rosa County
1st Place, Junior Individual Performance                                                                                     
Max Mateer, Gulf Breeze Middle School
Two Goats on a Bridge and a Torpedo Underneath
Teacher: Grace Freeman
Outstanding State Award—Junior Division
Grace Mims, Gulf Breeze Middle School
Junior Individual Exhibit
Rachel Carson: Standing for the Environment
Teacher: Grace Freeman
Florida’s NHD Finalists by county:
Finalists are students whose entry is among the top ten projects in their division and category.
Osceola County
7th Place, Junior Group Website                                                                                    
Justin Barber, Kathryn Froehlich, Alondra Curet and Kaitlyn Haslam, Osceola County School for the Arts
Ignaz Semmelweis—Taking a Stand to Save Lives 
Teacher: Alissa Jean
Santa Rosa County
4th Place, Junior Individual Exhibit                                                                                   
Grace Mims, Gulf Breeze Middle School
Rachel Carson: Standing for the Environment
Teacher: Grace Freeman
About Florida History Day
Florida History Day is an affiliate of National History Day (NHD). NHD was established in 1974 to promote history in the classroom by offering students the means and encouragement to research people, ideas, and events of the past. The 2016–17 theme is “Taking a Stand in History.” After analyzing and interpreting the information they have gathered, students express their findings in a paper, exhibit, performance, documentary, or website. More than 66,000 students participated in the 2016–17 Florida History Day. For more information, visit floridahistoryday.com.