Four Big Island students will compete in this year’s National History Day competition, which will place virtually from June 12-16.
Out of more than half a million students who participated, roughly 3,000 from the United States, Guam, American Samoa, and international schools in China, Korea and South Asia will compete against one another in the National Championships, including one student from Waiakea Intermediate School and three students from Waiakea High School.
“When students do Hawaii History Day, they become expert detectives, writers, artists, storytellers,” said Hawaii History Day Director Shannon Cristobal. “They also attain important academic skills, such as learning how to research and to think critically, while analyzing and synthesizing that research, and how to write it in numerous ways.”
The theme for this year’s competition was “Debate and Diplomacy in History: Success, Failures, Consequences,” and each student approached the subject from their own perspective. Styles ranged from documentary films to exhibitions and performances, all created and designed by the students.
Cole Aragaki attends Waiakea Intermediate School and produced a documentary film called “(Re)defining Union Diplomacy: The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization Strike of 1981.”
While participation in History Day is mandatory for eighth-grade students at Waiakea Intermediate, Agaraki went above and beyond by participating in the event during his sixth-grade year.
“It’s a pretty tough process for middle school kids, especially as a sixth-grader,” said Aragaki’s adviser and Waiakea Intermediate teacher Jonathan Peralto. “But it came out great. He did this as an additional thing, largely on his own.”
Peralto also served as Ava Ignacio’s History Day adviser last year. Ignacio went on to attend Waiakea High School and is now competing in the senior division of the National History Day competition.
“She was my student last year,” said Peralto. “We were all virtual, so the history project was optional, and she was the only student of mine who decided to do one last year. She stuck with it this year, did a performance, and qualified for nationals.”
Ignacio’s performance project is titled “2.0 Mather vs. William: The Inoculation Controversy of 1721,” where she portrays several historic figures in a video debating the handling of the smallpox inoculation, a situation that reflects the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
Also competing in the senior division from Waiakea High School are Tiffany Wong and Angelina Kent.
Wong produced a documentary film titled “The Handover: Colonial Hong Kong and Conflict Between Chinese and British Perspectives,” where she focused on the 1997 decision of the British government to return Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China under the “one country, two systems” approach.
Kent opted for a presentation focused on polio survivor and disabilities advocate Judy Heumann and highlighted her life and legislative work on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
“All three students have exceeded academically,” said Waiakea High Principal Kelcy Koga. “We are very proud of their accomplishments and wish them the best as they move forward in the History Day competition.”
Since 1980, the competition has brought together top students throughout the nation, focusing on key moments in history.
Despite the virtual nature of this year’s event, many workshops still took place for students online throughout the year, including the Debate and Diplomacy Speaker Series, which covered local history such as the Kalama Valley and Micronesian history, among other topics.
After presenting their projects in their classrooms and districts, top students competed at the state level, with first- and second-place winners from each category moving on to compete nationally.
National winners will be selected by National History Day judges in each topic category, and awards range from cash prizes to scholarships and distinction as a “National Endowment for the Humanities Scholar.”
“Students really enjoy the feeling of empowerment that comes from making a project their own,” said Cristobal. “When students choose a topic they are passionate about, they can see the relevance of that project to their own lives, and they end up producing something that uniquely reflects who they are and what they believe in.”
All 32 projects created by Hawaii students that have qualified for the national competition can be viewed here: https://tinyurl.com/32rte959.
Email Grant Phillips at gphillips@hawaiitribune-herald.com.