Congratulations to our amazing Heights Middle School students who participated in the National History Day virtual contest! Paige Kimball, and Diya Linga won 1st place in Junior Group Performance for “The Diplomacy and Success of the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 Started The Women’s Rights Movement.” Mikaela Donaldson, Grace McWilliams, and Genevieve Peterson won 2nd place in Junior Group Documentary for “The Fight for Equal Rights: Debate and Diplomacy of the First Female Mayor.” And Mikaela Donaldson, Grace McWilliams and Genevieve Peterson received a Special Award in Junior Women’s History. Special kudos to Heights Middle School GATE Teacher Nick Akins for his great work and willingness to provide strong educational experiences for his students. Good luck to the groups representing New Mexico at the National competition in June.
In the photo: National Qualifiers Grace McWilliams, Evie Petersen, Mikaela Donaldson, Diya Linga, and Paige Kimball.
The contest, which ran from March 25 through April 8, held its virtual awards ceremony on Sunday, April 10.
In the photo: 8th Grade State Competitors Brady Sandoval, Grace Woodall, and Kennedy Brown.
National History Day is a research contest that encourages students to delve deeply into historical topics and develop projects around a theme. Students normally spend time choosing and preparing in one of five categories (Exhibit, Paper, Documentary, Website, or Performance). Students prepare something related to the theme (This year was Debate and Diplomacy: Successes, Failures, Compromises). The students then must first learn a lot of details about their topic, try to understand it in the context of history, analyzing and constructing an argument as they go. There is a lot of feedback and revision, and anything that comes from it truly comes from the students being passionate and spending extra time on their subjects. This meaningful educational experience supports collaboration and other real-world skills such as research, synthesizing information, and revising.
Top photo: (Back Row) Mathyeus Wood, Evie Petersen, Grace McWilliams, Mikaela Donaldson, Mia Bearden, Cassidy James, Alex Figueroa Marentes, Braeden Blakley, and Austin Bellah. (Middle Row) Mia Yazzie, Lyla Miranda, Meade Pandya (holding globe), Ronin Montano, and Mikey Manzanares. (Front Row) Abraham Miraz, Natahlya Trevizo, Paige Kimball, and Diya Linga.