History came alive this past week for two seniors at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, who walked away with a second-place medal in the annual National History Day competition, held at the University of Maryland.
Poly students Samuel Hudnet and Justin Tibbels earned the silver medal for their documentary on Maryland environmentalist Rachel Carson.
“I couldn’t be happier to hear that,” Poly Principal Barney Wilson said upon hearing the results. “They literally worked for four weeks in a row on that project and were sometimes at the school until 6 a.m. … They deserve it.”
More than 2,000 6th- to 12th-graders from across the country gathered in College Park to compete in the weeklong competition, in which the nation’s best history students touted their knowledge against each other in the form of papers, displays and presentations.
The competition has been a part of curriculums nationwide since it began in 1974, said National History Day representative Mark Robinson, and the work of students on the projects culminates in the final competitions.
The national competition has been held at the University of Maryland since 1981, he said, and the organization’s national headquarters are on the campus.
“It’s always fun to see the students’ projects,” Robinson said. “Every year, you’re always amazed.”
Judy Dobbs, the National History Day state coordinator for Maryland, said about 11,000 students in Maryland submitted projects to regional competitions, and 46 Maryland students made it to the national competition.
Dobbs said students took the competition very seriously.
“This isn’t just some book report you can do overnight,” she said.
Robinson agreed. “These kids have done an incredible amount of in-depth research on their projects.”
“This is for the most part graduate-level research they’re doing, and they getso involved in it. They forget sometimes they’re learning,” Robinson said.
Montgomery County student Christopher Perdue took third place for his performance on George Mason.
Four other Maryland students received awards: Cecil County’s Krystal Credille, Poly’s Renae Mitchell, Anne Arundel County’s Brennan Willard and Calvert County’s Lauren White.
