National History Day in Pennsylvania and the Army Heritage Center Foundation are pleased to announce that nine students from Pennsylvania are among the top honorees at the National History Day competition that took place from June 13 to June 17, 2010 at the University of Maryland at College Park, MD.  Over 2,400 students from 53 affiliate programs participated, resulting in a highly competitive contest.  Fifty-seven Pennsylvania students attended the contest, which is the culmination of a year-long program of self-directed learning.  These students created first-rate projects on a topic of their choice related to this year’s theme of Innovation in History:  Impact and Change.  Many Pennsylvania entries made it to the final round of judging, and the following students were honored at the awards ceremony:

1^st Place, Senior Individual Documentary

Collin McCarthy from Bishop McDevitt High School, Harrisburg, for his entry:   A Keystone Survey: Triangulating Social Investigation.  Teacher:  Eric Mark.

2^nd Place, Junior Group Documentary

Nathan Onorofsky and John Bowen from Kutztown Area Middle School, Kutztown, for their entry:  Fueled By Fear of Soviet Superiority: The lnnovative Saturn V’s Launch of a World Unifying Force.  Teachers: Beth Patten and Aaron Ashman.

The History Channel’s Outstanding Entry Award

Collin McCarthy from Bishop McDevitt High School, Harrisburg, for his entry:   A Keystone Survey: Triangulating Social Investigation.  Teacher:  Eric Mark.

Outstanding Entries from Pennsylvania

Laura Habich, Rachel Miller, Katherine Delucy, Jillian Kinsey, and Alessandro Disanto from Bishop McDevitt High School, Harrisburg for their entry:  We Interrupt This Broadcast:  The Golden Age of Radio.  Teacher:  Erik Mark.

Gabriel Schroeder from Mary Queen of Apostles School, New Kensington, for his entry:  From Cholera to Crapper and Beyond: How the Innovation of the Flush Toilet Shaped Civilization.  Teacher:  Evelyn Quade

In addition, the following entries from Pennsylvania placed in the top fourteen in the final round of judging:

4^th Place, Senior Group Performance

Laura Habich, Rachel Miller, Katherine Delucy, Jillian Kinsey, and Alessandro Disanto from Bishop McDevitt High School, Harrisburg, for their entry:   We Interrupt This Broadcast: The Golden Age of the Radio.  Teacher:  Eric Mark.

6th Place, Junior Paper

Gabriel Schroeder from Mary Queen of Apostles School, New Kensington, for his entry:  From Cholera to Crapper and Beyond: How the Innovation of the Flush Toilet Shaped Civilization.  Teacher:  Evelyn Quade.

9^th Place, Junior Group Exhibit

Emily Reiss and Trinity Hamm from Kutztown Area Middle School, Kutztown, for their entry:   "Fight Cancer with Knowledge:" The Innovative Forces That Waged a War on Cancer.  Teachers:  Beth Patten and Aaron Ashman

8^th Place, Senior Individual Documentary

Megan Rosenberger from St. Joseph High School, Natrona Heights, for her entry:  A Star was Born: Galileo and the Telescope.  Teacher:  Rosanne Pucciarelli

10^th Place, Junior Individual Performance

Mitch Farrell from Mary Queen of Apostles School, New Kensington, for his entry:   The Doolittle Raid: Military Innovation that Impacted the Nation.  Teacher:  Evelyn Quade

10^th Place, Junior Individual Documentary

Olivia Hess from Mechanicsburg Middle School, Mechanicsburg, for her entry:  Limb Prosthetics: Innovation of Hope.  Teacher:  Beckie Lacey

11^th Place, Senior Group Exhibit

Numrah Bashir, Deblyn Lawrence, Amy Louie, and Helen Hunter from Masterman High School, Philadelphia, for their entry:   "Brethren in Bonds": The Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society.  Teacher:  Amy Cohen

Each category of the contest had approximately 100 entries.  Overall, nine Pennsylvania entries placed in the top 14 of their respective categories.  By any measure these results represent an outstanding achievement for Pennsylvania’s teachers and students and place Pennsylvania among the top performing states this year at National History Day.  Thanks to all of the Pennsylvania students who worked hard on their projects, all the teachers who motivated and guided their students through the process, the parents who supported and encouraged their kids, and the judges whose discernment and feedback ensured that the students who went to nationals were as prepared as possible—all Pennsylvanians can take pride in this accomplishment.

National History Day in Pennsylvania is sponsored by the Army Heritage Center Foundation.