Students from Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Corona-Norco Unified School Districts advance to National History Day competition
RIVERSIDE – The communication techniques of jazz diplomacy, Mister Rogers, and Sesame Street, were the subjects of award-winning National History Day-California (NHD-CA) projects from Riverside County students that are now advancing to compete with projects from across the United States at the National History Day Competition set to take place virtually on June 13-19.
Ten students from Riverside County were named champions at the NHD-CA competition held virtually on May 7-9, featuring the 2021 theme of “Communication in History: The Key to Understanding.” The state competition featured elementary division (grades 4-5), junior division (grades 6-8), and senior division (grades 9-12) students who advanced from county National History Day competitions in the following categories: Documentary, performance, exhibit, paper, and website.
Here is the full list of projects awarded at the state level—including those in the junior and senior division advancing to the National History Day national competition and those who earned special recognition awards.
Advancing to National NHD Competition
Project: C is For Communication: How Sesame Street Revolutionized Children's Television and Early Education
Entry Division/Category: Junior Group Documentary
Students: Danni Brasher, Chloe Chun
Teacher: Cherise Leonard
School: Clara Barton Elementary School
District: Corona-Norco USD
Project: The Fake News Pioneers: How Two Men Convinced America to Overthrow the Government of Guatemala
Entry Division/Category: Junior Historical Paper
Student: Aiden Kim
Teacher: Lynne Toyofuku-Aki
School: Lincoln Fundamental Elementary School
District: Corona-Norco USD
Project: Ba-Goshi A-Kha Be Ah-Nah: Unbreakable Communication - Using a Forbidden Language in War
Entry Division/Category: Junior Individual Documentary
Student: Vivianna Tang
Teacher: Steve Case
School: El Cerrito Middle School
District: Corona-Norco USD
Project: Propaganda Leaflets: A Tool of Communication Shaping Public Opinion and Division of the Two Koreas
Entry Division/Category: Junior Individual Exhibit
Student: Emily Shin
Teacher: Brandon Smith
School: Corona Fundamental Intermediate School
District: Corona-Norco USD
Project: Mister Rogers Neighborhood: How Communication Provided a Key to Understanding Emotional and Moral Well-Being
Entry Division/Category: Junior Individual Performance
Student: Daniela Galindo
Teacher: Autumn Earle-Rodriguez
School: Vista Heights Middle School
District: Moreno Valley USD
Project: All in the Family: Communicating Controversial Comedy
Entry Division/Category: Senior Group Documentary
Students: Shawn Ashley, Shayna Ashley
Teachers: Aurelio Cortez and Ana Pantoja
School: Canyon Springs High School
District: Moreno Valley USD
Project: Jazz Diplomacy: A Dissonant Message of Racial Harmony During the Cold War of Words
Entry Division/Category: Senior Historical Paper
Student: Aisha Randhawa
Teacher: Lynette Menter-Hartman
School: Corona High School
District: Corona-Norco USD
Project: The Letters Between Harriet Glickman and Charles Schulz: A Key to Integration in the Media
Entry Division/Category: Senior Individual Website
Student: Nathan Lee
Teacher: Jayln Barnard
School: Martin Luther King High School
District: Riverside USD
Special Awards
Conference of California Historical Societies (CCHS)
Project:
Forms of Communication During the Free Speech Movement
Entry Division/Category: Junior Historical Paper
Student: Aubrey Packer
Teacher: Christine Pollitt
School: Matthew Gage Middle School
District: Riverside USD
Japanese American Museum - Japanese American History
Project:
Masking the Truth: What Visual Japanese-American Internment Camp Propaganda Communicated
Entry Division/Category: Senior Individual Documentary
Student: Lauren Kim
Teacher: Macie Walker
School: Eleanor Roosevelt High School
District: Corona-Norco USD
National Maritime Historical Society - Maritime History - First Place
Project:
Communicating with the Aliens in Our Seas: Understanding Dolphins
Entry Division/Category: Senior Individual Documentary
Student: Xuan-Anh Ly Biggs
Teacher: Leticia Hilton
School: Riverside Poly High School
District: Riverside USD
National Maritime Historical Society - Maritime History - First Place
Project:
No Security Through Obscurity: Withheld Communication Caused the Loss of the Indianapolis
Entry Division/Category: Junior Individual Exhibit
Student: Davenee McFadden
Teacher: Jeremy Schichtle
School: Vista Verde Middle School:
District: Val Verde USD
National Maritime Historical Society - Maritime History - Second Place
Project:
Operation Ivy Bells
Entry Division/Category: Senior Individual Website
Student: Jack Brown
Teacher: Laura Fanelli
School: Crossroads Christian School
District: Private
San Francisco Naval Commandry - Naval Order of the United States San Francisco Commandery
Project:
Ba-Goshi A-Kha Be Ah-Nah: Unbreakable Communication - Using a Forbidden Language in War
Entry Division/Category: Junior Individual Documentary
Student: Vivianna Tang
Teacher: Steve Case
School: El Cerrito Middle School
District: Corona-Norco USD
San Francisco Naval Commandry - Naval Order of the United States San Francisco Commandery
Project:
Operation Ivy Bells
Entry Division/Category: Senior Individual Website
Student: Jack Brown
Teacher: Laura Fanelli
School: Crossroads Christian School
District: Private
California Council for Social Studies - Social Justice and Diversity
Project:
“Lost Friends” and “Information Wanted” Ads: Communicating the Heart-Breaking Stories of Family Separation Caused by Slavery
Entry Division/Category: Junior Individual Exhibit
Student: Tori McBride
Teacher: Steve Case
School: El Cerrito Middle School
District: Corona-Norco USD
At the 2021 Riverside County National History Day Competition held in March, 232 students from 10 school districts and charter schools in Riverside County produced 147 entries. More than 100 Riverside County students representing 65 projects advanced to the 2021 National History Day-California competition held virtually on May 7-9. Updates on the National NHD Competition, can be found on the
NHD website.
National History Day, is a year-long educational program that encourages students to explore local, state, national, and world history. After selecting a historical topic that relates to an annual theme, students conduct extensive research by using libraries, archives, museums, and oral history interviews. They analyze and interpret their findings, draw conclusions about their topics' significance in history, and create final projects that present their work. These projects can be entered into a series of competitions, from the local to the national level, where they are evaluated by historians and educators. The 2022 National History Day theme will be “Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, and Consequences.”