Imani Haven and Carmen Thompson made a huge impact with their NHD exhibit: MMIW

For the first time in school history, two students from Dishchii’Bikoh Community School in Cibecue represented Arizona at the 2025 National History Day competition at the University of Maryland. They didn’t bring home a trophy. Instead, they brought something more powerful: a message that couldn’t be ignored.

 https://www.wmicentral.com/news/cibecue-students-take-mmiw-crisis-to-the-national-stage/article_8ac34ce0-a373-46be-8de1-f9fd9f016a5d.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawLf6oRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFnY1o4bG5oNFJQVk4yeFpoAR7up8ySb3k3M3bmgFqu9mw4dKoRLALShDYzODBDiE1Uh1y5vTmCdtSB5nLvdg_aem_PTLpw63ccf9hoOXqjhb1FQ

NHD students Imani Haven and Carmen Thompson, Teacher/Advisor Jeron Velasco

New York Times features NHD students Imani Haven and Carmen Thompson

June 14, 2025

At National History Day, Students Get Competitive About the Past

Americans are fighting about history. This past week, thousands of students across the country came together to celebrate it.

 
Imani Haven and Carmen Thompson, two 16-year-olds from the White Mountain Apache tribe who live in the reservation community of Cibecue, Ariz., had brought an exhibit about missing and murdered Indigenous women.

“We really wanted to raise awareness,” Imani said. “Lots of people are coming up to us and asking questions.”

It was their first time participating in National History Day, and their first trip on an airplane. (That evening, they planned on going to the beach.) But many students were back for a second, third, fourth time, sometimes as parts of multigenerational National History Day dynasties.

Read the full article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/arts/national-history-day.html?unlocked_article_code=1.O08.Nl5K.kupUk74UhBq5&smid=fb-share&fbclid=IwY2xjawK7iblleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFiZnhKNUlIYkhUVVJiRnN4AR6QlA9YrfEpMzU8nJbjQudbYZ47tYmTFPiMSz952VOl83uljb_ee1uoVfh9fQ_aem_dRYTU8Gzgt1spdqA7m-1rA

Pictures exhibit "MMIW Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women" from South Mt Community College State competitions: