Participating in the National History Day (NHD) competition is one of Parker’s cherished annual traditions. On March 2, 49 students from Parker’s Lower, Middle, and Upper School took part in the San Diego County History Day Competition; 39 of which will be moving onto the California State competition in May.
Centering around the 2018-2019 NHD theme of “Triumph & Tragedy in History,” Parker students worked to present their projects in 1 of 5 ways—creating a documentary, an exhibit or website, writing a research paper, or performing a skit. This year, Parker presented 11 exhibits, 10 websites, six documentaries, two research papers, and two performances. Ten projects from Parker earned special awards from the judges including four received the Economics Award, two received the San Diego County Libraries’ Research Award, and four received the Award for Outstanding Historical Performance, the Air & Space History Award, the US Foreign Relations Award, and the University of San Diego California History Award respectively.
Parker students know the breadth of knowledge and wonderful friendships that are gained when participating in the National History Day competition, which is why Upper School’s History Day Club created a scholarship for students from schools across San Diego who are participating in History Day for the first time.
During the San Diego County History Day recognition ceremony, Parker History Day Club presidents Emily Park and Adam Nussbaum, both Class of 2019, presented three students with the award.
“The students of the club are proud to raise funds for these awards,” says Cherie Redelings, Upper School social studies teacher. “The award helps defray expenses involved in making the project as well as encourage students to continue their research endeavors.”
See below for the complete list of students and their achievements at the San Diego County History Day Competition. Students who impress the judges at the California State competition will be chosen to move on to the National competition in June held at the University of Maryland in College Park.
Lower School
Nicholas Kim and Mitchell Janes, both Class of 2026 – “Tragedy and Triumph of Japanese Internment” (Elementary Group Poster) Advances to California State competition
Eric Lillie, Class of 2026 – “Valor in the Pacific: The Battle off Samar” (Elementary Individual Poster) Advances to California State competition
Middle School
Jack Ducote, Class of 2023 – “The Death Zone: Triumph and Tragedy on Everest” (Jr. Individual Exhibit) Advances to California State competition
Sanjana Kumar, Class of 2024 – “Triumph Amidst a Sea of Tragedy: Angel Island Immigration Station” (Jr. Individual Performance) Advances to California State competition and Award for Outstanding Historical Performance
Samantha Kim, Class of 2024 – “Liberty and Justice for All: The Japanese American Story of Triumph” (Jr. Individual Website) Advances to California State competition
Roark Lacey, Class of 2023 – “Nixon in 1972: Conquest and Corruption” (Jr.. Individual Website) Advances to California State competition
Liam Phillips and Preston Seay, both Class of 2024 – “73 Seconds to Tragedy” (Jr. Group Website) Honorable Mention, Air & Space History Award
Joey Richardson, Annika Baumgartner, Melina Fernon, and Dessa Kuritz, all Class of 2024 – “Juana María: A People’s Heritage Lost and Found” (Jr. Group Exhibit) USD California History Award
Sophie White, Sophia Tyrrell-Knott, and Hannah Luna, all Class of 2023 – “Trial to Tears: The Story of the Cherokee Nation” (Jr. Group Exhibit) Advances to California State competition
Upper School
Aadam Awad, Class of 2022 – “From Triumph to Tragedy: The New World Order, the United States, and the Middle East” (Sr. Historical Paper) Honorable Mention
Elsa Baumgartner and Adelyn Phillips, both Class of 2021 – “The Banning of DDT: An Environmental Triumph Over a Silent Tragedy” (Sr. Group Exhibit) Advances to California State competition
Zachary Braner and Davis Kedrosky, both Class of 2019 – “The Limits of Power: The Making and Breaking of Athenian Imperialism” (Sr. Group Website) Advances to California State competition and Economics Award
Luca Bonanno, Class of 2021 – “The Land of the Sun: The Story of California City” (Sr. Individual Documentary) Advances to California State competition
Jacob Brittain, Class of 2019 – “The Tragedy of War Without a Triumph: War on Poverty and the Racial Divide” (Sr. Individual Exhibit) Advances to California State competition
Liam Brownlie and Jorge Luna, both Class of 2021 – “Rising Sun Setting Economy: The Japan Asset Bubble” (Sr. Group Documentary) Advances to California State competition and Economics Award
Cleo Chaplin and Adam Nussbaum, both Class of 2019 – “Nikolai Vavilov and the Global Seed Vault” (Sr. Group Documentary) Advances to California State competition
Vicky Comunale, Maya Chu, Sonali Chu, Emily Park, and Amanda Wasserman, all Class of 2019 – “The Panama Canal” (Sr. Group Exhibit) Advances to California State competition and Economics Award
Nicholas Del Rio, Gabriel Jinich, and Neusha Kharrati, all Class of 2020 – “Operation Cyclone: CIA Intervention and the Rise of the Mujahideen” (Sr. Group Website) Advances to California State competition
Eleanor Hansen, Class of 2019 – “Spanish Flu and the Triumph of the Women’s Rights Movement” (Sr. Individual Exhibit) Advances to California State competition
Cate Hasler, Class of 2020 – “Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The Fall of Japan as an Imperial Power” (Sr. Individual Exhibit) Advances to California State competition and Best Project in US Foreign Relations
Katharina Hass, Class of 2021 – “Triumph of the Will; Tragedy of a Generation” (Sr. Individual Performance) Advances to California State competition
Ilan Jinich, Class of 2022 – “The 1933 Anti-Nazi Boycott & The Haavara Agreement: Triumph and Tragedy on the Eve of the Holocaust” (Sr. Individual Website) Advances to California State competition and Economics Award
Aryo Kharrati, Class of 2022 – “Triumph and Tragedy: The Iranian Revolution of 1978” (Sr. Individual Website) Advances to California State competition
Jenna Kim, Class of 2022 – “Manse! Korea’s Movement Towards Triumph” (Sr. Individual Website) Advances to California State competition
Sahana Kumar and Jeyan Kirtay, both Class of 2019 – “The Equal Rights Amendment” (Sr. Group Exhibit) Advances to California State competition
Ian Lillie, Class of 2021 – “The Libby Zion Case: Perilous Practices Demand Triumphant Reform” (Sr. Individual Documentary) Advances to California State competition
Aadi Miglani, Class of 2020 – “The Triumph and Tragedy of Sea World” (Sr. Individual Website) SD competition participant
Pallavi Murthy, Class of 2020 – “Tragedy after Triumph: the Egyptian Arab Spring” (Sr. Historical Paper) Advances to California State competition
Ollie Pai, Class of 2021 – “Pushing the Limits of Democracy: The 1968 Democratic National Convention” (Sr. Individual Documentary) Advances to California State competition
Jesse Smith, Class of 2021 – “Under Pressure: The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster” (Sr. Individual Documentary) Honorable Mention and San Diego County Libraries’ Research Award
Luke Tchang, Class of 2019 – “The Great Depression and World War II: The Cyclical Nature of Tragedy and Triumph” (Sr. Individual Website) Honorable Mention and San Diego County Libraries’ Research Award
