Sunday, October 18, 2026

Ashton Andrade and Yatharth Tomar, NHD students, create website "Apache Junction"

Ashton Andrade and Yatharth Tomar (not pictured) created this first place in state group website for National History Day. Congrats on advancing to National competition.

Approximately 3,000 students (out of more than 500,000) make it to the National contest each year, making qualification a significant achievement in this prestigious academic program. Only 0.6% are judged to have projects that are of a high enough caliber to reach Nationals.

Our 39 Arizona students are in that incredible 0.6%! They brought 27 qualifying projects to Nationals in June. They represented every competition category and every grade level, from 6th-12th grade. Projects included documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances, and websites created through months of original historical research surrounding this year’s theme Revolution, Reaction, and Reform. 


Saturday, October 17, 2026

Arizona Historymakers Program Zoom meeting

 Dedicated volunteers: learning, laughing, celebrating Arizona history. So grateful for these Historical League members who take the time to preserve Arizona Historymakers Program. Videos, photos, stories of amazing Arizonans can be seen for years to come. This group, meeting on Zoom, and many more are involved in the Historymakers Program, available on the Historical League website.



Friday, October 16, 2026

Cibecue National History Day students Matthew De Torres and Brady Tessay won The Roe Family Best Arizona History Entry

Matthew De Torres and Brady Tessay from Cibecue, AZ won a Special Award for National History Day AZ. They did a Senior Group Documentary - Viva Libertad: Revolution Against Spanish Rule. The Roe Family Best Arizona History Entry recognized them with a monetary award of $200.

National History Day Arizona brings history to life through project-based learning, research, presentations, workshops, and competitions that encourage students to explore historical topics of their choice. Through participation, students develop critical thinking, research, writing, communication, and problem-solving skills while learning to evaluate sources and construct evidence-based arguments.


The Historical League is a proud sponsor of this program.






Thursday, October 15, 2026

Nathan Davies-Venn competes for National History Day

 Mentoring at a National History Day AZ session and I found myself watching the performance of 8th grader Nathan Davies-Venn. Incorporating his amazing violin skills with his story about Jazz, he had the audience captivated. Costumes, props, storyline, sound bites (Blues told the truth), eye contact - he has it.

Congrats to Nathan for winning the Barbara Lewis Award sponsored by Grant Trepanier - $160. Junior Individual Performance titled From Conservatory to Cotton Club.

The Historical League is proud to support this program with volunteers and funding.









Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Joyce "the Voice" Bailey at Apache Wells Community Church, Mesa, AZ.

 "Music is my joy in life," Joyce "the Voice" Bailey. Historical League member and amazing singer!!

Joyce "the Voice" Bailey at Apache Wells Community Church, Mesa, AZ.


Owen Yin and Adrish Gande advance to National History Day final contest with website

 Approximately 3,000 students advance to the National History Day final contest each year, making qualification a significant achievement. 0.6% are judged to have projects that are of a high enough caliber to reach Nationals. That is 0.6% out of half a million qualifiers! Owen Yin and Adrish Grande are in that 0.6%!!

Congrats for their Jr. Group Website "Built on Speed and Soil; How McDonald’s Transformed the Fast Food Industry."

See this fascinating story on their website:




Congrats to W. Ira Parsons with two Special Awards for his NHD Senior Paper

 Congrats to W. Ira Parsons winning two awards for his Senior Paper for National History Day! Titled “The Endless Frontier”: How Atomic Revolution, Reaction, and Reform Gave Us Our Current System of Public Investment in Science.

Ira was recognized for Best Government History sponsored by Stephanie Mann with a monetary award of $50. The prize is awarded to the best entry in any category, in either division, which illuminates the history of the American federal, state, or local government.
He also won The Diana Smith Award of $150 which is given to the paper that exemplifies historical argument aligned with the NHD theme. The author of this paper demonstrates historical analysis, compelling argumentation, strong and documented research, clear writing and insightful engagement with the past. Diana is a very active Historical League member and has been a NHD judge for many years.