On Monday, February 10, HALB held its seventh annual HALB History Day, part of the prestigious National History Day competition. National History Day is a nationwide event in which more than half a million students participate each year, showcasing projects that examine historical events in relation to a national theme.
For the past five months, under the guidance of social studies teacher Ms. Kristen Waterman, HALB’s eighth-grade students conducted in-depth research on topics related to this year’s theme: Rights and Responsibilities in History. Students explored a diverse range of subjects, from Prohibition and the responsibility of government to modern issues like the discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and the duty to create safe workplaces.
Many students also delved into Holocaust history, a profoundly personal topic for them and their families. Using their technology skills, they created powerful documentaries and interactive websites that brought history to life. Others combined creativity with STEM skills to build impressive museum-style exhibits, including a four-foot-tall wooden book that unfolds to tell the story of immigrant life in 1890s’ New York City.
Students presented their projects in one of three formats: documentary, website, or exhibit. Each format allowed students to develop 21st-century skills in research, analysis, and presentation, while engaging in a meaningful and dynamic learning experience.
The top three projects in each category will advance to Long Island History Day at Hofstra University in March, where they will compete against some of Long Island’s best and brightest young historians.
First Place Exhibit: Levittown: Rights, Responsibility and the American Dream (by Alex Hackel, Eliana Hollander, Tobie Kleiman, Ava Marks, Juliana Radinsky)
First Place Documentary: Whose Responsibility? The Evian Conference and the Rights of Jews in Peril (by Leah Fistel, Keren Reiss, and Hailey Walfish)