On Thursday, June 15, at the 2023 National Contest awards ceremony, held in person for the first time in four years at the Xfinity Center at the University of Maryland, National History Day announced this year’s prize winners.
Over 2,600 students attended the National Contest, which took place on the campus in College Park, MD, from June 11–15.
Brooklyn Guenther, who just completed the 8th grade at St. Rose of Lima School, won the Outstanding Affiliate Award, the best junior division entry from Nebraska. Guenther’s individual performance, “The Pony Express: Delivering a New Frontier to the American Frontier,” also placed first in her room during the preliminary round and advanced to National History Day’s final round.
The final round represents a select group of students who rank in the top 10 percent of their category.
Also competing at the National History Day Contest were Cecilia Wortmann and Kaden Arens, who just completed the 7th grade at St. Rose. Their junior group performance was titled “The Orphan Trains: Laying Down Tracks for New Frontiers.”
The awards ceremony was the culmination not only of the week-long contest but also of several months of student research, project creation, and competition. During the 2022–2023 school year, over half a million students globally completed projects centered around the theme, Frontiers in History: People, Ideas, and Events, in one of five categories: documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website.
Throughout the spring, students competed in a series of contests beginning at the local level. The top students from all 50 states, Washington D.C., U.S. territories, and international schools were invited to compete in the National Contest.
“It’s great to be back in person after three years of virtual contests,” said NHD Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “Every year, NHD students surprise and inspire me with their enthusiasm, innovative thinking, and tireless research. The analytical skills they have cultivated will stand them in good stead for their future educational endeavors. Congratulations to the over half a million students globally who participated and to the thousands of teachers who guided them.” Ginger Schieffer, history teacher at St. Rose, added, "I'm so proud of Brooklyn, Cecilia, and Kaden for representing St. Rose and Nebraska at National History Day and I commend them for their hard work in creating such exemplary performances."