In early May, 37 Parker students from the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools participated in the National History Day in California competition. After months spent on developing projects around the theme of Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, and Consequences, we are proud to share the competition results:

Elementary Division (Lower School)

Abigail Hunck, Annika Singh, Elaina Lee, Swika Sampat
Ping Pong Diplomacy
California State Runner-Up

Athena Apostolides
Chicano Park: A Failure In Diplomacy, A Success in the Barrio
California State Winner
California History Award

Cole Fetter
JFK Richard Nixon Presidential Debate
Participant

Ella Vanstone, Ethan Sloan, Paavan Padhiar
The Debate over Slavery in the United States: Was it Really about Freedom for the Slaves?
California State Winner

Maris Page
Susan B. Anthony: “Failure is Impossible”?
California State Runner-Up

Junior Division (Middle School) 

Ayan Champsi
Treaty of Jaffa: Debate and Diplomacy in the Crusades (Historical Paper)
Participant

Rahul Kadia, Jason Zhao
What’s the Deal with Taiwan and China? (Group Podcast)
California State Finalist

Nicholas Kim, Mitchell Janes, Ronit Khushu
Debate and Diplomacy: The Fight for the Return of Stolen Artifacts (Group Documentary)
California State Finalist

Mark Blair & Eric Lillie
Money or Munitions? Diplomatic Policy in NATO and the Warsaw Pact (Group Website)
California State Finalist

Senior Division (High School)

Annika Baumgartner, Melina Fernon, Dessa Kuritz, Joey Richardson –
Grounds for Debate: How the Treaty of Westphalia Laid the Groundwork for Modern Diplomatic Relations (Group Website)
California State Finalist

Ben Folk
Conflict and Union: How the Homestead Strike Redefined the Labor Movement (Individual Exhibit)
California State Finalist

Ella Kim
A Degree of Separation: The Armistice of the Korean War (Individual Exhibit)
Participant

Ethan Kassar
Liberty and Justice for All? Religious Freedoms in Minersville School District v. Gobitis (Individual Website)
Participant

Hannah Luna, Nicholas Smith
From Friends to Foes: The Treaty of San Francisco (Group Exhibit)
Participant

Keigo Omura, Sophia Tyrell-Knott, Sophie White
The Parthenon Marbles: A Pillar of the Case for Cultural Repatriation (Group Exhibit)
California State Runner-Up

Jenna Kim, Sami Kim
Failures in Debate and Diplomacy: The Chinese Exclusion Act and Consequences for Asian Americans Today (Group Website)
California State Finalist

Jesse Smith
The Troubles: Debate and Diplomacy in Northern Ireland (Individual Documentary)
California State Runner-Up

Jessie Shen
Flourished, Now Impoverished: How False Promises Displaced the Sioux  (Individual Documentary)
California State Winner

Maya Mason
Discourse towards Détente: The S.A.L.T. Treaties (Individual Podcast)
Participant

Roark Lacey
SALT II: Exploring Diplomacy (Individual Website)
California State Finalist

Shea McGrath
Pass the Salt: Water Diplomacy in the U.S.-Mexico Salinity Crisis  (Individual Website)
California State Winner

Our congratulations go to each of the participating students, and our sincere thanks to the many faculty, staff, parents, and volunteers who supported them on this journey.