Local Students Excel in State History Day Competition

Press release from the Humboldt County Office of Education:

[Photos by Erik Fraser]

The 2024 CA State History Day took place on April 21, at CSU Sacramento. The theme was “Turning Points in History”. Students spent months researching and creating submissions for this theme. More than 1500 students participated from 25 counties. Humboldt County has long been involved in CA State History Day. This year, 300+ students participated at the local event, held at Cal Poly Humboldt, run by 75 volunteers. There were 200 projects submitted for the competition. The county selected 81 projects to advance to State History Day across the elementary, junior and senior (high school) levels. 

Tiffany Bullman, Social Studies Teacher and Humboldt History Day Coordinator noted that, “History Day is an important project and event for our local students and community. History Day allows our students to become experts about a topic that they care about. As they become experts, they partake in historical research by digging through primary resources, interviewing experts or people that experienced their topic and reading numerous secondary sources. Humboldt County History Day allows students to show off their projects and knowledge and gain valuable skills through the interview process.” 

Of the 81 projects that advanced to the State History Day, two students were recognized for their submissions: Diego Stengl as a Finalist, Honorable Mention and recipient of a Special Award – American Indian History Prize from the California Foundation for History Education in Individual Documentary Junior High for “Dam It”. Adeline Pierce, Finalist and recipient of a Special Award – Environmental History from the Inquire Discover Engage Education Group to an Elementary Individual Poster for “Old Growth, New Legislation: How the Protection of a Bird Impacted an Entire Region”.

The Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE) not only supports History Day with staff expertise, but also with merit scholarships. HCOE presented 12 merit scholarships and Coast Central Credit Union awarded 21 needs/merit-based scholarships to assist students to attend state History Day. Superintendent of Schools, Michael Davies-Hughes commented, “We have a long tradition of strong participation by Humboldt County students in the California History Day event. This year, the submitted projects were of the highest quality and reflected not only the students’ commitment and analytical skills but also underscored the rich historical understanding present in our community. Their achievements truly inspire us all.”

For more information regarding History Day, please visit https://hcoe.org/history-day/ or https://www.nhdca.org/ 

CONTACTS: 

Tiffany Bullman, Humboldt County History Day Coordinator, 707-839-6400

Agustín Amaro, Learning Specialist, Social Studies, History Day Coordinator 707-445-7072

Stacy Young, Director of Community Outreach and Engagement [email protected] 707-445-7024