National History Day East Valley Contest February 2026

 Enthusiastic students: eager to show their exhibits, perform, support their papers, open their websites. 

Judges: happy to help, give constructive critiques.

Parents: delighted to see their children expand their horizons. 

Volunteers: ready be of service.

National History Day: such a valuable program.

Exhibits going to National History Day Final Competition in June

 National History Day students have choices of how to present the theme "Rights and Responsibilities". They can design a website, write a paper, do a documentary, act a performance or create an exhibit. Check out these very interesting and elaborate exhibits that NHDAZ students are taking to College Park, University of Maryland in June for final competitions. 

Years ago we learned how expensive it is for students to ship their exhibits. Many could afford to ship them to College Park, Maryland but could not afford to ship them back home to Arizona so . . . they threw them away. How heart-breaking after all that research and work. The Historical League stepped up and now sponsors the transportation of those exhibits with $200 funding.

Dr. Josie Pete attends NHD in Wash. D.C.

On the morning of June 12, I arrived at the National Museum of the African American History, where I was greeted by Dave and Diana Smith! What a wonderful surprise! 

We agreed the excitement and enthusiasm of the hundreds of students in attendance was contagious. It was rewarding to witness the skills and talent demonstrated by the students. The relevance of the research and maturity level of the topics was a testament to the time and effort dedicated to the production of these projects.

I later found Nathan Davies-Venn and his family. His documentary was shown in the theater in the morning. I was proud to meet this talented young man, who did an admirable job of representing Arizona. Nathan’s documentary was on the life of Henrietta Lacks. This experience was sobering in clarifying our role to ensure history is documented and understood by our students. 

The Historical League provides a beacon of hope ensuring that these young people continue to be encouraged and are supported in their educational pursuits.

 

A special thank you to Cathy Shumard, who kept me updated on the National History Day events.

From June 2024 Historical League Old Ned Newsletter

NHDAZ student Nathan Davies-Venn

 Thank you notes are much appreciated. Here's one from National History Day student Nathan Davies-Venn whose documentary was selected for the African National Museum of American History and Culture, and he also earned honorable mention at Nationals:

I'd like to thank you and the Historical League for the travel funds to assist toward the cost of my NHD travels. I really enjoyed competing in the NHD competition. I learned so much history, from first of all doing my own project and also getting to see the other documentaries in my panel at the National competition. I learned that history is very important as it helps us to understand how things are today. I also had the opportunity to visit the Johns Hopkins Chesney Medical Archives and I met the archivist Teri Hatfeild who assisted me throughout my project. She allowed me the opportunity to tour the archives and I was also able to view the cell feeder and the test tube that Dr. Geys used in the discovery of the HeLa Cells. It was a really fun and cool experience and I am looking forward to doing NHD again in the fall. I have attached some pictures from my trip here for you.

Nathan Davies-Venn - Documentary Henrietta Lacks-The Woman at the Heart of Medicine: Science, Ethics and Race

1992-2019 Historymakers Documentary entertains guests

Guests enjoyed a history of 1992-2019 Historymakers™ in video and photos created by NHD student Thanvi Voruganti and League members Ruth McLeod, Zona Lorig, Cathy Shumard. This documentary was presented as the crowd entered the Steele Auditorium for the 2023 AZ Historymakers Celebration Oct 14..

Arizona Historymakers 1992-2019 Documentary premieres at Oct 14 Celebration

 The premiere of a new documentary "Arizona Historymakers™ from 1992-2019" was featured at 2023 Arizona Historymakers Celebration. It took months of work but worth it to share the story of our Historymakers. https://youtu.be/A7QzLOmEBlw

Special thanks to National History Day student Thanvi Voruganti for all her creative talents.

• Curated by: Thanvi Voruganti, National History Day Winner 2023

”Best in State" for Junior Individual Documentary

Historical League members:• Creative Director: Ruth McLeod

• Editors: Cathy Shumard, Zona Lorig�

• National History Day Arizona Advisors: Dr. Kristen Rex, Stacey Trepanier

National History Day AZ student Thanvi Voruganti is Junior Best in State Winner for documentary

Teacher Stacey Trepanier writes, "Our junior National History Day Best in State Winner was Thanvi for her individual documentary Vietnam: New Frontiers in Media Coverage."

Another way to express it is she is also 20th in the World for individual documentary.

You can view it here. https://sites.google.com/.../nhdaz-2023/thanvi-voruganti...

When asked what does NHD mean to you?, Thanvi replied:

"The National History Day process has helped improve my technological ability, my writing skills, and ultimately help me find my voice. New perspectives and experiences have also helped me assess my personal opinions and ultimately embrace history as a tool to help make future decisions. Overall, NHD was a highly enjoyable procedure and truly benefitted me in many ways. "

The Historical League is proud to help sponsor these students in NHDAZ.

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zdsaAMYRw-HuWW6jB3XkAjDe4DrVh0l0/view