Mineola Student Places Sixth In National History Day Contest

MINEOLA, NY — A Mineola student snagged sixth-place in the National History Day Competition.

Each year, more than half a million students participate in the nationwide competition, which aims to "reinvigorate the way (history) is taught and learned," executive director Dr. Cathy Gorn said. They choose a historical topic related to the contest's annual theme and conduct primary and secondary research. Contestants then present their work in one of five ways: as a paper, an exhibit, a performance, a documentary, or a website.

Julianna Reilly, a seventh-grader at Mineola Middle School, developed a website for her project titled," The Fireside Chats — Sparking a New Era in Radio Communication." The website weaves in primary source documents and photos centered around this year's theme, Communication in History, according to a press release.

The National Contest is the final stage of a series of competitions at local and state/affiliate levels. Like thousands of other students, Reilly began by presenting her project in the classroom. She was then invited to the state/affiliate level contest before she was selected to compete at a national level.

Click here to learn more about the National History Day Competition.