Peck Students Head to State for National History Day

National History Day (NHD) programming is a cornerstone of Peck’s Upper School history program, engaging sixth-through-eighth graders in historical research and skills development. Along with more than half a million students across the country, students deepen their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, practice formal historical research, and elevate their confidence and agency in learning. Each year in NHD brings an annual theme; for 2021, students were challenged to explore topics relating to “Communication in History: The Key to Understanding.”
 
After Peck’s initial history day judging, which sent 20 individual and group projects to regionals, ten projects were selected to move on to NHD’s state competition in May (listed below).

Helping the students was Upper School History Teacher Jason Guss, who is also immersed in NHD work. He is participating in NHD’s highly selective professional development spring webinar series on historical argumentation.

One of only 120 educators worldwide granted entrance to the elite course, Guss has access to online Library of Congress resources as well as to historical experts as he examines and develops strategies in structuring historical arguments—a skill which he will then bring to his own classroom. 

“The most important thing I've examined thus far is how to structure an NHD argument into smaller, more manageable pieces that middle schoolers can handle,” said Guss. “Lynne O'Hara [NHD Program Director] utilizes simple acronyms to break down complex processes.  Dr. Christopher Hamner [George Mason University professor and author] has been insightful about different ways to analyze primary sources.”

As a seventh-grade teacher, he has three students who will be moving on to NHD State competition: “I am so proud of them for building clear and engaging websites that highlighted their thorough research and thoughtful thesis statements,” Guss said.

1. Individual Exhibit, The Communication of the Little Rock Nine Integration, by Preston Devieux ‘23
2. Individual Exhibit, The Historical Impact of Yiddish in Jewish Culture, by Jakob Braun ‘23
3. Individual Exhibit, Miguel Grau: Knight of the Seas, by Matias Stevenson ‘23
4. Individual Exhibit, The “Rite” Way for Music, by Max Kim ‘21
5. Group Exhibit, Vive La Resistance, by Jackson Breaks ‘21 and Jack Buckley ‘21

1. Individual Documentary, The First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable, by Scarlette Liftin ‘21
2. Group Documentary, The Lost Cause of the Confederacy, by Joaquin Stevenson ‘21 and Will Pertsemlidis ‘21

1. Individual Website, Chernobyl: Mishaps, Deceit, and Discovery, by Alex Salamon ‘22
2. Group Website, The Salt March: The Protest That Sparked a Revolution, by Anna Bultó ‘22, Caroline Hendrickson ‘22, and Christina Silva ‘22