50+ Students From Across Minnesota Receive Top Honors to Compete at National History Day in Washington, D.C.

On Saturday, May 4, nearly 1,300 middle and high school students from across Minnesota gathered at the University of Minnesota for the 2019 State History Day competition.

Thes state competition was the culmination of months of student work around the 2019 History Day theme “Triumph & Tragedy in History.” The following students received top honors at the competition, and first and second place winners will move on to the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland, College Park, June 9-13.

View full results for each category, including 3rd through 5th place and honorable mentions, here. http://education.mnhs.org/historyday/sites/default/files/ALL%20RESULTS%202019.pdf

Junior Paper

1st: Emmett Whinnery, “Soaring Above Tragedy: The Triumph of the Environmental Movement in Bald Eagle Conservation,” Highland Catholic School St. Paul

2nd: Khayaal Desai-Hunt, “Something You Must Forever Carry: Cambodian Refugees’ Trauma and Survival,” Barton Open School, Minneapolis

Senior Paper

1st: Anna Rakhmanov, “When Contraceptive Becomes Cosmetic: The Tragedy of American Douching,” Upper Mississippi Academy, St. Paul

2nd: Gabriel Chang-Deutsch, “Triumph and Tragedy in Metis Resistance to Canadian Domination in Manitoba 1868-1870,” South High School, Minneapolis

Junior Individual Documentary

1st: Abigail Peters, “Alexander Hamilton: The Triumph and Tragedy of the U.S. Financial System,” Roseville Area Middle School, Roseville

2nd: Sasha Allen, “Turning the Tide: Glen Lake Sanitorium's Crusade to Conquer Tuberculosis,” Central Middle School, Eden Prairie

Senior Individual Documentary

1st: An Nguyen-Trinh, “Comfort Women: The Tragedy of Japan's Sexual Slavery,” DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis

2nd: Jackson Fawcett, “Apollo 1: Tragedy Behind Apollo 11's Triumph,” Avalon School, St. Paul

Junior Group Documentary

1st: Tara Thomsen, Ricardo Wang-Polendo, “Missing Siblings of China: The One Child Policy,” Parkview Center School, Roseville

2nd: Keokolo Sena, Charles Cullen, “The Bosnian Genocide: A Tragedy of Neglect, A Triumph of Diplomacy,” Sanford Middle School, Minneapolis

Senior Group Documentary

1st: Neil Grube, Kathleen Grube, “Pressure to Launch: How the Challenger Tragedy led to a Neil Grube, Kathleen Grube Triumph in Space Partnership,” Roosevelt High School, Minneapolis

2nd: Tess Grundhoefer, Bryn Farmer, Evyn Olmstead, “Dr. Martha Ripley and Maternity Hospital,” Highland Park Senior High School, St. Paul

Junior Individual Exhibit

1st: Emily Brenner, “The Triumph of Women's Birth Control: Griswold v. Emily Brenner Connecticut,” Murray Middle School, St. Paul

2nd: Calvin Weier, “The 1992 Los Angeles Riots,” Sunrise Park Middle School, White Bear Lake

Senior Individual Exhibit

1st: Lily Johnson, “The White Rose: ‘We Will Not Be Silent,’” Marshall School, Duluth

2nd: Megan Schneider, “The Cod Wars: How Fish Can Make Impact; The Tragedy of Britain Overfishing in Iceland and the Resulting Triumph of the Law of the Sea,” North Lakes Academy, Forest Lake

Junior Group Exhibit

1st: Chase Baumgarten, Colin McShane, “The Triumph of Mandatory Football Helmets Led to Tragic Chase Baumgarten, Colin McShane Brain Injuries in Players,” Stella Maris Academy, Duluth

2nd: Amanda Montgomery, Annika Schroeder, “The Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster,” Sunrise Park Middle School, White Bear Lake

Senior Group Exhibit

1st: Hannah Jensen, Jaedyn Thomas, “The Final Frontier: The Tragedies and Triumphs During the Hannah Jensen, Jaedyn Thoma Cold War in Space,” North Lakes Academy, Forest Lake

2nd: Annabelle Niblett, Gwen McMahon, "A Revolution is Not a Dinner Party,” South High School, Minneapolis

Junior Individual Performance

1st: Noura Rezk, “The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster,” Sunrise Park Middle School, White Bear Lake

2nd: Kevin Torstenson, “The 26th Amendment: A Triumphant Alliance,” Murray Middle School, St. Paul

Senior Individual Performance

1st: Calvin Mattson, “Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin: How a Conjuror Suppressed a Calvin Mattson Revolution,” DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis

2nd: David Povolny, “The Battle of the Bulge: A Triumph Won through Tragedy,” North Lakes Academy, Forest Lake

Junior Group Performance

1st: Julia Pletch, Ellery Tennison, “The Triumph of Making AIDS History,” Murray Middle School, St. Paul

2nd: Sydney McGrath, Aviva Fisher, “Amelia Earhart a Triumph in Female Aviation,” Anwatin Middle School, Minneapolis

Senior Group Performance

1st: Sam Kellar-Long, Mae Wrigley, “Torches of Freedom: A Triumph for Cigarette Advertising,” Open World Learning Community, St. Paul

2nd: Tana Ososki, Aaron Ramsey, “Mississippi Freedom Summer,” St. Paul Academy and Como High School, St. Paul

Junior Individual Website

1st: Phoebe Finlay, “Frances Kelsey's Triumph Over Thalidomide,” Murray Middle School, St. Paul

2nd: Ashley Steffes, “Stolen Children: Native American Boarding Schools,” Dodge Middle School, Farmington

Senior Individual Website

1st: Ella Hoch Robinson, "The Risks of Freedom: The Triumph and Tragedy of Civil Ella Hoch Robinson Liberties in Skokie,” South High School, Minneapolis

2nd: Abigail Peterson, “Stomaching America: Tragedies and Triumphs of ‘The Jungle,’” North Lakes Academy, Forest Lake

Junior Group Website

1st: Alice Wagner-Hemstad, Kai Sackreiter, “Reserve Mining Company v. United States: A Triumph for Environmental Policy,” Murray Middle School, St. Paul

2nd: Laurel Kaufman, Maria Muller, “The American Indian Movement: An Organization That Brought Triumph to Forgotten Native Americans,” Seward Montessori School, Minneapolis

Senior Group Website

1st: Grace Philippon, Sam Skinner, “Finding Honor in Defeat: The Demilitarization of Japan,” Central High School, St. Paul

2nd: Gus LaFave, Sofia Fish, Azalea Rohr, “Cooperation in a Divided World: The Global Eradication of Smallpox,” South High School, Minneapolis

About National History Day in Minnesota

National History Day in Minnesota is a cocurricular historical research program that builds college readiness and communication skills for middle and high school students. 27,000 students from over 250 schools participate in Minnesota each year. The program in Minnesota is a partnership of the Minnesota Historical Society and the University of Minnesota, College of Liberal Arts.

Program support is also provided by the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. For more information, visit education.mnhs.org/historyday.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history. Visit us at mnhs.org.

The Minnesota Historical Society is supported in part by its Premier Partner: Explore Minnesota Tourism.