Fugett Students to Compete in National History Day Competition

Kenny Boggess, Marie Fourakis, and Mathew Iozzi of Fugett Middle School

Three Fugett Middle School students have earned the opportunity to compete in a national history competition being held this June. The students were selected following their participation in local, regional, and state National History Day competitions.

Beginning in 1974 and held annually, National History Day is an academic competition that more than half a million students across the country compete in each year. Students work individually or in a group and complete original research on a topic of their choosing while incorporating the competition’s theme into their work. The annual theme is typically a phrase or alliteration, and is usually accompanied by a graphic showing an event, person, and/or group in history that exemplifies the theme. This year’s theme is “Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History.” Students enter their work into one of the following five categories: documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. They then compete in a series of National History Day contests held at the local, regional, and state level in hopes of participating in the national contest. The students are judged on three factors: historical quality, relation to theme, and clarity of presentation.

All eighth grade students taking history at Fugett Middle School participated in the school’s National History Day Competition. Students visited historical sites and libraries, and interviewed experts and authors in order to compile their research. They also studied papers, speeches, and books, and many stayed after school devoting hours to their projects. Project topics ranged from Galileo Galilei to Sir Francis Drake to the Cold War.

Approximately sixty Fugett Middle School eighth graders competed in the regional National History Day Competition, which was held at the Chester County Historical Society in March. Fifteen students qualified to advance to the state competition, which was held at Millersville University in May. Kenny Boggess, Marie Fourakis, and Mathew Iozzi of Fugett Middle School won the group documentary category at the state competition with their film “Nixon and China” and will compete in the national competition, which will be held at the University of Maryland-College Park in June.

For more information, please contact Ms. Tracey Dukert, Digital Communications Coordinator, West Chester Area School District at 484-266-1170 or tdukert@wcasd.net.