Maryland History Day Winners

Each year Maryland students advance to the Maryland History Day state competition.

See which teachers were honored, who walked away with special prizes, and which projects were selected to advance to the 2021 National History Day® competition in College Park, MD.

View 2021 Contest Program

Maryland History Day 2021 National History Day National Qualifiers (written in order of first and second place)

  • Junior Papers

    The Most Consequential Work of Journalism in History: How One Reporter Revealed to the World the Dangers and Tragedies of Atomic Warfare
    Student: Noah Grosberg
    School: Westland Middle School
    Teacher: Melissa Hylton

    “What Hath God Wrought”: The Effect of Morse Code and the Telegraph on American History
    Student: Ruby Niederhauser
    School: Northern Middle School
    Teacher: Devin Page

  • Junior Individual Exhibits, sponsored by Columbia Gas of Maryland

    Mokusatsu and the Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb
    Student: Ben MacTough
    School: Sligo Middle School
    Teacher: Inge Chichester

    The Real Enigma: The Top Secret Codebreakers of Bletchley Park
    Student: Grace Minakowski
    School: Northern Middle School
    Teacher: Devin Page

  • Junior Group Exhibits, sponsored by Columbia Gas of Maryland

    A Spark of Hope: How FDR’s Fireside Chats Lifted America Out of the Great Depression
    Students: Anjali Harrison, Riley MacArthur
    School: Eastern Middle School
    Teacher: Jermaine Ellerbe

    Unlocking Women’s Political Potential: How Female Voices Communicated for Prohibition and Repeal
    Students: Violet Kucler, Wren Kucler
    School: Burleigh Manor Middle School
    Teacher: Robyn Page

  • Junior Individual Documentaries, sponsored by Wegmans

    Flash-Bang-Silence: The Fight to Communicate the Full Story About the Atomic Bomb
    Student: S. Abigail Giroux
    School: The Bryn Mawr School
    Teacher: Matthew Hetrick

    9/11: How Failure to Communicate Led to Disaster
    Student: Robert Thurman
    School: Frederick Homeschoolers
    Teacher: Christine Pritt

  • Junior Group Documentaries, sponsored by Wegmans

    Alexander Graham Bell: The Villain
    Students: Ellis Merrill, Lillian Merrill
    School: Accokeek Academy
    Teacher: Arun Puracken

    The Racist Roots: Intentionally Racist Anti-Japanese Propaganda During WWII
    Students: Eliza Cook, Sophia Jones, Lilia Lash
    School: Eastern Middle School
    Teacher: Jermaine Ellerbe

  • Junior Individual Performances

    Sesame Street: The Brighter Side of Trauma
    Student: Madison Harris
    School: Kenmoor Middle School
    Teacher: Carol Carter

    The History of American Sign Language
    Student: Sydney Sharp
    School: Roland Park Elementary/Middle School
    Teacher: Allisun Thompson

  • Junior Group Performances

    Burning Through Blackwells
    Students: Zoe London, Tessa Lake-Goldstein
    School: Roland Park Elementary/Middle School
    Teacher: Allisun Thompson

    Mahatma Gandhi’s Evolution in Political Protest
    Students: Annika Balaji, Aanya Garg
    School: Takoma Park Middle School
    Teacher: Joseph Evans

  • Junior Individual Websites

    Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: The Key to Communicating the Truth in Communist Romania
    Student: Bianca Crainiceanu
    School: Roland Park Elementary/Middle School
    Teacher: Allisun Thompson

    Nazi Propaganda
    Student: Vedansh Sawhney
    School: Parkville Middle School
    Teacher: Molly Ricciardi

  • Junior Group Websites

    Navajo Code Talkers: Effective Communication During War
    Student: Eliana Wang, Ashley Zhang
    Schools: Takoma Park Middle School
    Teacher: Rachel Lunsford

    Technological Communication During WWI
    Students: Sebastien Spencer, Samuel Yoon
    School: Folly Quarter Middle School
    Teacher: Vincente D’Antuono

  • Senior Papers

    Bahasa Indonesia: Communication as the Framework for National Identity
    Student: Mia Venezia
    School: Frederick High School
    Teacher: Beth Strakonsky

    Telstar 1: How an Image of the American Flag Changed the World
    Student: Jonathan Moses
    School: Mount Saint Joseph High School
    Teacher: Ryan Folmer

  • Senior Individual Exhibits, sponsored by Columbia Gas of Maryland

    Talking to Ourselves: Blueprints of the Mind
    Student: Mykha Lizette Floresca
    School: Oxon Hill High School
    Teacher: Thomas Klug

    Margaret Sanger: Fueling the Discussion on Contraception
    Student: Carlin Blash
    School: South Hagerstown High School
    Teacher: Jason Kamler

  • Senior Group Exhibits, sponsored by Columbia Gas of Maryland

    The Attica Prison Riot of 1971: Truth from Behind the Bars
    Students: Anna Chalupa, Gitanjali Raghava
    School: Howard High School
    Teacher: Mary Saha

    Communication through Illustration: How Charles Dana Gibson’s Gibson Girl Spurred the Transformation of Femininity Beyond His Artwork
    Students: Alistair Black, Sophia Chaskes, Ellison Chiang, Veekshavani Parasa
    School: Poolesville High School
    Teacher: Stephanie Gomer

  • Senior Individual Documentaries, sponsored by Wegmans

    Birth of a Nation: Communicating the Lie
    Student: Adaline Ruff
    School: Calvert High School
    Teacher: Amie Dryer

    Thalidomide in the U.S.: The Hidden Story of How Egregious Communication in the Pharmaceutical Industry Led to the Biggest Man-Made Medical Disaster
    Student: Shruthi Ganesh
    School: Poolesville High School
    Teacher: Stephanie Gomer

  • Senior Group Documentaries, sponsored by Wegmans

    The Birth of a Nation: The Damaging Power of Communication
    Students: Joshua Fan, Carol Li, Charlotte Lucas
    School: Richard Montgomery High, Walter Johnson High
    Teacher: Bill Vicari, Alexia Chatfield

    Taking a Seat for Justice: The 504 Sit In
    Students: Rohin Garg, Thomas Huang, Andrew Wang, Andrew Yu
    School: Winston Churchill High
    Teacher: Christopher Forney

  • Senior Individual Performances

    They Call Me Johnny Walker: An Iraqi Interpreters’ Devotion to Effective Communication for The US Military During the Iraq War
    Student: Liam Grogan
    School: Frederick Homeschoolers
    Teacher: Christine Pritt

    World War II Through Photos
    Student: Zoe Tobery
    School: Walkersville High School
    Teacher: Karen Shomaker

  • Senior Group Performances

    No Entrants

  • Senior Individual Websites

    The Role of Forensic Linguistic Analysis in the Unabomber Case and the Revolution in Created After
    Student: Pragya Kumar
    School: Poolesville High School
    Teacher: Stephanie Gomer

    Daryl Davis: Using Communication as a Weapon to Disassemble the KKK
    Student: Dylan Chang
    School: Winston Churchill High School
    Teacher: Christopher Forney

  • Senior Group Websites

    The Music of Dmitri Shostakovich: Communication Under Soviet Suppression
    Students: Allison Faith Comising, Joshua Strohmayer
    School: Reservoir High School
    Teacher: Jan Edlowitz

    The Tactics Behind Uncle Sam: How Propaganda Shaped the Vision of World War II
    Students: Braeden Smith, James Sykes
    School: Mount Saint Joseph High School
    Teacher: Ryan Folmer

Maryland History Day Teachers Awards

  • Maryland History Day Statewide Middle School Teacher of the Year

    Kenneth Childs
    Hazelwood Elementary/Middle School
    Baltimore City

  • Maryland History Day Statewide High School Teacher of the Year

    Lynn Rashid
    Marriotts Ridge High School
    Howard County

  • Allegany County

    Mark Malone
    Fort Hill High School

  • Anne Arundel County

    Katherine Dutton
    Central Middle School

  • Baltimore County

    Samuel Manelski
    Loyola Blakefield

  • Calvert County

    Devin Page
    Northern Middle School

  • Carroll County

    Bethanie Leader
    Northwest Middle School

  • Cecil County

    Amy Roose
    The Tome School

  • Charles County

    Melissa James
    Mattawoman Middle School

  • Frederick County

    Terance Auleta
    West Frederick Middle School

  • Montgomery County

    Alex Furno
    Newport Mill Middle School

  • Prince George's County

    Carol Carter
    Kenmoor Middle School

  • Queen Anne's County

    Andrew Anders
    Centreville Middle School

  • Washington County

    Jason Kamler
    South Hagerstown High School

2021 Special Prize Winners

  • Special Prize for Excellence in African American History, sponsored by the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture

    African Americans and Music: Their Cries for Justice
    Category: Junior Paper
    Student: Camille Mbanwi
    School: Ernest Everett Just Middle
    Teacher: Clarence Humes

    Communication in History: Posters and Protest Signs in the Black Freedom Struggle
    Category: Senior Individual Documentary
    Student: Jaina Dotson
    School: Oxon Hill High School
    Teacher: Thomas Klug

  • Senator Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. Award for Excellence in Government History

    Naturalization Act of 1906: Written Communication over the Naturalization of Immigrants
    Category: Junior Group Exhibit
    Students: Cate Lee, Pat Steil
    School: Clarksville Middle School
    Teacher: Margaret Brothman

    Star Wars: The Impact of a Galaxy Far, Far Away on Modern Political Culture in America
    Category: Senior Paper
    Student: Daisy Dastrup
    School: Poolesville High School
    Teacher: Katherine Horan

  • Award for Excellence in Asian History, sponsored by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County History Department

    Ashurbanipal’s Library: The Library of the World
    Category: Junior Group Documentary
    Students: Aspen Egan, Wardan Gilani
    School: Accokeek Academy
    Teacher: Arun Puracken

  • Award for Excellence in Civic Action and Engagement, sponsored by the Maryland Council for the Social Studies

    The Women’s Suffrage Parade of March 3, 1913: How Protests and Parades within the Suffrage Movement Aided the Ratification of the 19th Amendment
    Category: Junior Individual Website
    Student: Ahalya Srambical
    School: Kingsview Middle School
    Teacher: Gretchen Ryland

    How Jacob Riis Illuminated the Nation’s Darkest Corners
    Category: Senior Individual Documentary
    Student: Nadia Ghaicepour
    School: Marriotts Ridge High School
    Teacher: Lynn Rashid

  • The Barry A. Lanman Award for Oral History, sponsored by Barry Lanman

    Communication During the Southern Freedom Movement: Through the Eyes of Ruby Sales
    Category: Junior Individual Website
    Student: Ariella Schulterbrandt
    School: Clarksville Middle School
    Teacher: Margaret Brothman

  • Award for Excellence in Labor History, sponsored by Bill Barry and Friends

    The We Can Do It Poster: Rosie the Riveter
    Category: Junior Individual Documentary
    Student: Violet Stallings
    School: Kenmoor Middle School
    Teacher: Carol Carter

    Tiananmen Square Massacre: Censorship of Communications
    Category: Senior Individual Documentary
    Student: Sumiya Rahaman
    School: Westminster High School
    Teacher: Stacey Gruber

  • Eugene J. Becker Award for Excellence in Cybersecurity and Cryptology , sponsored by National Cryptologic Museum Foundation

    Code Talkers: The Secret Language that Won the War
    Category: Junior Group Documentary
    Students: Emily Notobartolo, Kayla Hawbecker
    School: Smithsburg Middle School
    Teacher: Robert Smith

    Morse Code: Communication Without a Voice
    Category: Senior Individual Exhibit
    Student: Grayson Peoples
    School: Mount Saint Joseph High School
    Teacher: Ryan Folmer

  • The George Washington Leadership Prize, sponsored by George Washington’s Mount Vernon

    The Culper Spy Ring
    Category: Junior Individual Website
    Student: Lauren Compton
    School: Piccowaxen Middle School
    Teacher: Daniel Hoefert

    The Culper Spy Ring: Masters of Discrete Communication
    Category: Senior Individual Exhibit
    Student: Maria Eckard
    School: Fort Hill High School
    Teacher: Mark Malone

  • The Major General John E. Morrison Award for Excellence in Innovation, sponsored by the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation

    The Printing Pres and Its Impact on Human History
    Category: Junior Group Website
    Students: Andrew Luse, Jacob Hamilton-Rohe
    School: Eastern Middle School
    Teacher: Jermaine Ellerbe

    Shielded by Steel: How the Preservation of Cockpit Communications Have Led to Safer Air Travel
    Category: Senior Group Website
    Student: Hanna Weikert, Mackenzie McCarter
    School: South Hagerstown High School
    Teacher: Jason Kamler

  • Award for Excellence in Maryland History, sponsored by the Maryland Center for History and Culture

    Union Mills Homestead Rural Free Delivery
    Category: Junior Individual Website
    Student: Natalie Castonguay
    School: West Middle School
    Teacher: Stacey Gruber

    A Passage to Freedom: The Underground Railroad
    Category: Senior Group Website
    Students: Gabriella Mills, Natalie Smith
    School: Broadneck High School
    Teacher: Brian Hussey

  • Michael E. Patten Memorial History Award for Best Use of Primary Sources, sponsored by the Frank Patten Family

    Ida B. Wells: Setting the Red Record Straight
    Category: Senior Group Documentary
    Students: Blythe McCammon, Kelsey Njembu
    School: North Point High School
    Teacher: Michael Serpone

  • Award for Excellence in the Study of Peace and Non-Violence, sponsored by Anonymous

    Communicating Peace and Friendship Through Worldwide Relationships: How the Peace Corps Became a Vehicle for American Diplomacy
    Category: Junior Paper
    Student: Zilani Mutinda
    School: Thomas Johnson Elementary/Middle School
    Teacher: Cathy Brock

    The Legacy of the Lost Cause
    Category: Senior Group Website
    Students: Josephine Panner, Nitney Veopradith, Simone Keenan, Trini Szell
    School: Montgomery Blair High
    Teacher: Marc Grossman

  • Award for Excellence in History of Science and Technology, sponsored by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County History Department

    Health Scare of 22 Years: How a Corrupted Study Has Forever Changed Vaccines
    Category: Senior Paper
    Student: Veronica Sulima
    School: Poolesville High School
    Teacher: Katherine Horan

  • Special Prize in Women's History, sponsored by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County History Department

    The Women’s Suffrage Movement: Seneca Falls Convention
    Category: Junior Group Website
    Students: Elise Aggrey, Ghislaine Aheto, Rayonna Bradley
    School: Kenmoor Middle School
    Teacher: Irene Prescott

  • Special Prize in Women's History, sponsored by the Maryland Women's Heritage Center

    From Uncle Tom to The Hill We Climb: The Legacy of Harriet Beecher Stowe
    Category: Senior Paper
    Student: Rebekah Mueller
    School: Old Mill High School
    Teacher: Hunter Hammond

  • Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, sponsored by the Maryland Historical Trust

    Native American Sign Language
    Category: Junior Individual Exhibit
    Student: Julia Southard
    School: Centreville Middle School
    Teacher:  Thomas Hayman

    Whistled Languages: A Mountainous Past and a Rocky Future
    Category: Senior Group Documentary
    Students: Brianna Simmons, Emma Weikert
    School: South Hagerstown High School
    Teacher: Jason Kamler

  • Award for Excellence in Legal and Constitutional History, sponsored by Cynthia Raposo and Joseph Furey

    How Frederick Douglass Viewed the Constitution
    Category: Junior Paper
    Student: Lila Kassouf
    School: Dumbarton Middle School
    Mentor: Kathleen Barry

    War on Warez: How Music Piracy Forever Changed the Way We Communicate with Files Online
    Category: Senior Individual Documentary
    Student: Yacoub Kahkajian
    School: Poolesville High School
    Teacher: Stephanie Gomer

  • Award for Excellence in LGBTQ+ History, Sponsored by Aaron Heinsman

    Communication: The Rainbow Riots
    Category: Junior Group Exhibit
    Students: Maddie Gough, Madison Hess, Quynh Leighton
    School: The Tome School
    Teacher: Amy Roose

  • “The researching and communicating skills have made me a more confident person in all academic endeavors. These are skills that will last me a lifetime.”

    ​Maryland History Day student participant

  • “By using a variety of sources, I was able to get angles on my topic that I wasn’t able to before. Also, I learned so much about a topic near and dear to my heart that will enrich my learning later in life.”

    Maryland History Day 2015 Student

  • “I think the continual process of improving her research and presentation through the various levels of competition has been incredibly valuable. It has caused her to dig deeper in her research and build upon and refine her work and presentation.”

    ​Maryland History Day parent

  • “I had never done anything like this before so it was a totally new experience to write a paper, be interviewed, and defend my positions. I now really know how to do research and it has improved my writing skills.”

    ​Maryland History Day student

  • “The part of History Day that had the most impact on me was seeing all the other entries and entry categories. It was really inspiring to see so many different people of history honored for their leadership and legacy as that was this years theme. You forget that the whole world has a history and there are so many different people and leaders who make up that history. The fact that this day brings together all of us students, our imaginations, our creativity, research skills, and history really reminds you how much of us would be lost if we didn’t remember those who made an impact.”

    ​Maryland History Day student participant

  • “My students became more competent researchers, and took ownership of their work. They had total free reign to choose their topic, direct their research, and create their final project.”

    ​Maryland History Day 2015 Teacher

  • “The thing that had the most impact were the skills that I got from this project. I developed better hunting skills in terms of looking for reliable sources and I also learned to work hard and not procrastinate to achieve something great.”

    Maryland History Day student participant

  • I’ve loved judging! It’s exciting to see the passion the middle schoolers have put in their projects. I hope that my critiques have helped strive for excellence throughout their lives.

    Dee Krasnansky, Maryland History Day Judge

  • “MHD illustrated the applicability of the study of history to contemporary issues and current events. It was very motivating to converse with the students about their historical topic and observe how they applied it to current events and their own life circumstances.”

    ​Maryland History Day parent

  • “History Day has taught men how to interpret and effective use primary sources in my writing to create and support claims. Now I am much more likely to explore databases, go to libraries, and explore further external sources for credible and effective sources.”

    Maryland History Day 2019 Student

  • “History Day inspired me to become deeply invested in historical topics which I never thought I’d enjoy. It is an amazing experience that has the ability to make learning fun for everyone, no matter what you’re interested in.”

    Addie Skillman, National History Day Gold Winner

  • “The students are now far more prepared for the high level of scholarship and achievement that will be expected of them in future years. MHD also elevated many other skills too. These include public speaking, the use of technology, learning to collaborate.”

    ​Maryland History Day teacher

  • “[My son] became a real expert in his topic and, he says, developed a life-long love of history, especially the history of music. I cannot thank you enough for this rare and incredible opportunity.”

    Andrea LeWinter, parent of Maryland History Day participant

  • “[The students] learned a variety of ways to present their material and they could focus on what they wanted to learn about. The students had a choice in their learning. It was about their learning NOT what someone else felt they need to learn.”

    ​Maryland History Day teacher

  • “I had never done anything like this before so it was a totally new experience to write a paper, be interviewed, and defend my positions. I now really know how to do research and it has improved my writing skills.”

    ​Maryland History Day 2015 Student
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