Our eighth-grade students nailed their National History Day (NHD) presentations! NHD projects require students to choose a topic related to a specific theme and conduct research, write a thesis, and create a project that supports their historical argument, shared Mr. Akula, Grade 8 English/History Teacher. Students’ presentations ranged from documentaries and exhibits to performances; topics included “Anne Frank’s Memorable Life in Hiding,” “The Haitian Revolution,” and “Columbus’ Invasion: Revolution and Reaction with Taino People.”
Gigi N. ’30 and Ellie G. ’30, who created a replica of Columbus’ ship for their project, remarked how “digging in” to the research stage was surprisingly fulfilling. Regarding his Haitian Revolution-themed project, Jordan M. ’30 indicated his surprise and admiration for how “if you persevere and band together, you can make a change for everyone in your community.”
Zorena A. ’30 and Stella R. ’30 told the story of the “Lowell Mill Girls,” young women who effected change in labor laws amid the Industrial Revolution, through a thoughtful performance. “Our hope for this project is that it creates a sense of gratitude in our peers,” said Zorena, who with Stella wrote an act about a single mother worrying about how to provide for her child. “[We] spent long hours carefully creating costumes, scripts, handmade props, and more to really bring our story to life,” she added.
Amelie M. ’30, Khloe R. ’30, and Allula L. ’30 also performed their project, which centered on Freedom Summer, a 1964 civil rights campaign in Mississippi to register Black voters. “In our performance, we take the audience through the lives of African Americans and white volunteers and what happened behind the scenes of the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” explained Amelie. Kudos to all our eighth-grade historians!
