Three Akron Middle School Historians compete in National History Day competition

Three Akron Central Middle School eighth grade students competed in the 2024 New York State History Day competition held at SUNY Oneonta on April 14, 2024.  Evan Iversen and the team of Adelaide Mandell and Hannah Liss, earned the trip to the state competition following their success at the regional event held at the Buffalo History Museum in March.  The events are part of the larger National History Day (NHD) program.

Following extensive research using both primary and secondary sources, the Akron students developed their entries for this year’s competition themed, “Turning Points in History.” Iversen presented a historical paper on X-rays as a turning point in medicine and earned first place in the Junior Historical Paper category. Mandell and Liss presented a documentary on the Columbine school massacre as a turning point in mental health awareness and school safety measures. They took first place in the Junior Group Documentary category. The pair were also honored as the Best Overall Project for both the junior (6-8th grade) and senior (9-12th grade) divisions.

Their success at the regional competition qualified all of them to go on to the NYS competition in Oneonta. The students each competed against 11 projects from across the state. While Mandell and Liss did not place in the top three, their documentary did bring one of the judges to tears.

Iversen placed third in NYS with his paper, one spot out of qualifying for the national competition that will be held in June at the University of Maryland in College Park.

 “I am very proud of the work these kids put into their projects and for having the courage to compete,” said Mr. Daric Brege, eighth grade Social Studies teacher at Akron Middle School, who leads students interested in competing.  “I only give kids the opportunity; they do all the work. They deserve all the credit!”

To view Adelaide and Hannah’s documentary or to read Evan’s paper, please visit www.akronschools.org/NHD

For more information about the National History Day contest, please visit www.nhd.org.