Photo Caption – Left to right: Amanda Zadnik and Simonne Thibeault, seniors at E.O. Smith High School in Mansfield earned a third-place medal for their group exhibit at the 2025 National History Day® Contest. Their project “Rewarded by Death: How Operation Columba Exemplifies the Rights and Responsibilities of Civilians in Wartime” took first place in the Connecticut History Day Statewide competition in May. Both students have participating in the program annually since middle school. Their diligence paid off as they opted to miss their high school graduation in order to attend the national competition at the University of Maryland, College Park. The event attracted 2,800 student competitors from across the United States and abroad.
(Hartford, CT) June 12, 2025 — Sixty students in grades 6-12 represented Connecticut at the prestigious 2025 National History Day® Contest at the University of Maryland this past week. Twenty of them will return home with awards and special prizes. The Connecticut History Day team joined over 2,800 students from the U.S. and overseas to compete in the 51st National History Day® Contest this week. Middle and high school students earned a spot on the Connecticut team by finishing in the top two at the Connecticut History Day State Contest after winning regional contests earlier in the spring. Connecticut History Day, an affiliate of National History Day®, is a Connecticut Democracy Center program in residence at Connecticut’s Old State House.
In addition to the recognition of Connecticut students, Kristin Behn, a school social studies teacher at Worthington Hooker School in New Haven was among the top five candidates for the 2025 National History Day Teacher of the Year award. The National History Day® awards ceremony was live streamed from the Xfinity Center at the University of Maryland, College Park. To view the Welcome Ceremony or Awards Ceremony, visit https://nhd.org/en/contest/national-contest/ . The Connecticut Democracy Center is pleased to share the names of the students who were honored:
3rd PLACE MEDAL GROUP EXHIBIT
Students: Amanda Zadnik & Simonne Thibeault
Project Title: Rewarded by Death: How Operation Columba Exemplifies the Rights and Responsibilities of Civilians in Wartime
School: E.O. Smith High School (Mansfield)
SPECIAL HONORS
World War II History Prize
Students: Julianne Pashe & Katie Smith
Project Title: Civilian Public Service Camps: The Compromise between Personal Rights and National Responsibility
Category: Junior Group Exhibit
School: Ellington Middle School
George Washington’s Leadership in History
Students: Vivaan Pandey & Vyom Kadegaonkar
Category: Junior Group Documentary
Project Title: Shays’ Rebellion: The Uprising That Shaped a Nation
School: Timothy Edwards MIddle School (South Windsor)
Outstanding CT Award Junior Division and 8th Place
Student: Kamran Batchelder
Category: Junior Individual Documentary
Project Title: The Price of Power: How the U.S. Failed Its Responsibilities to Protect the Human Rights of Veterans and Marshallese
School: Sedgwick Middle School (West Hartford)
Outstanding CT Award Senior Division and 7th Place
Student: Bhaavni Khrishna
Category: Senior Individual Performance
Project Title: Noor Inayat Khan: A Responsibility to Resist
School: South Windsor High School
TOP 10 FINALISTS
6th Place Junior Paper
Student: Lillian Magnoli
Project Title: Don’t Call Her a Business Woman; Call Her a Woman in Business: Beatrice Fox Auerbach’s Pioneering View of Rights and Responsibilities in Business
School: Timothy Edwards Middle School (South Windsor)
8th Place, Senior Paper
Student: Avner Wilson-Spiro
Project Title: A Long Fought Battle: Agent Orange, Soldiers’ Rights, and the Government’s Responsibility
School: Wilton High School
9th Place, Senior Group Documentary
Students: Finn Outwater & Oliver Outwater
Project Title: Tinker v. Des Moines: Substantially Standing the Test of Time
School: Litchfield High School
9th Place, Senior Group Performance
Students: Salma Mahmoud, Sidra Bedir, Tasneem Zoghol & Zainah Khaliq
Project Title: Nellie Bly, Asylum Spy: Exposing the Abuse of Patient Rights and Neglect of Medical Responsibilities
School: Madina Academy (Windsor)
9th Place, Senior Group Website
Students: Faqiha Faheem, Noora Mahmoud & Sarah Elsherbini
Project Title: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: From Tragedy to Reform
School: Madina Academy (Windsor)
9th Place, Junior Group Website
Students: Salma Hassan & Sohyla Hassan
Project Title: Luminous Lives, Remarkable Legacy: The Radium Girls’ Fight for Workplace Rights and Employer Responsibilities
School: Madina Academy (Windsor)
10th Place, Junior Individual Website
Student: Aarna Jaggi
Project Title: A Line in the Sand, A River of Blood:The Partition that Stole Millions of Rights
School: Timothy Edwards Middle School (South Windsor)
10th Place, Junior Group Performance
Students: Emma Hennessey, Emma O’Brien & Lily Flynn
Project Title: The Abolitionist Who Never Stopped Writing: The Liberator’s Fight for Anti-Slavery
School: Timothy Edwards Middle School
Honorable Mentions:
Junior Individual Exhibit
Student: Anna Small
Project Title: Do with Less, So They’ll Have Enough: How U.S. Rationing in World War II Called Upon Americans to Sacrifice Personal Freedoms for the Greater Good
School: Sedgwick Middle School (West Hartford)
Senior Paper
Student: Yulisa Ma
Project Title: Guilty Until Proven Innocent: Anthony Ray Hinton and the Crisis of Radicalized Justice in American
School: Miss Porter’s School (Farmington)
Senior Group Performance
Students: Kalyani Tihaiya & Mia Chen
Project Title: From California’s Campuses to Communities: Asian Student Activists’ Fight for Inclusivity
School: E.O. Smith High School (Mansfield)
Senior Individual Exhibit
Student: Jacob Brown
Project Title: Sheff v. O’Neill: Equal Education in Connecticut
School: Rockville High School (Vernon)
Senior Individual Website
Student: Alexandra Czyz
Project Title: Tinker v. Des Moines: Rebels or Revolutionaries?
School: Farmington High School
Senior Individual Website
Student: Noor Hassan
Project Title: Rights Denied, Responsibilities Betrayed: The Veiled Injustice of the Untreated Syphilis Study
School: Madina Academy (Windsor)
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY® SHOWCASE
White House Historical Association Writers Seminar
Avner Wilson- Spiro, a student at Wilton High School, was selected to participate in a writers workshop at The People’s House: A White House Experience with his paper “A Long Fought Battle: Agent Orange, Soldiers Rights and the Government’s Responsibility.” Avner was one of only 10 students selected for this honor.
Exhibit at National Museum of American History
Jacob Brown, a student at Rockville High School, was selected to share his exhibition, “Sheff v. O’Neill: Equal Education in Connecticut” at the National Museum of American History as part of a day-long display of 47 projects representing each of the National History Day® affiliates.
“Congratulations to all Team CT members for their participation in the National Contest,” said Rebecca Taber, Director of Secondary Education Programs for the Connecticut Democracy Center and Connecticut History Day. “I’m so proud of Connecticut students for their outstanding research and analysis of such a diverse range of projects. It was an honor to see the students share their work on a national platform.” Students interested in Connecticut History Day/National History Day® can participate in the program in various ways, including classroom instruction, after-school clubs, enrichment
programs, or as an independent project. They are permitted to explore any aspect of history, from local to international. They can work individually or in groups on topics of their own choice. Students must present projects in one of five categories – exhibits, documentaries, websites, papers, or performances and learn how to identify primary sources, conduct research, and write a historical argument and thesis statement.
Inspired by the 2025 Annual Theme of Rights and Responsibilities in History, Connecticut students chose a range of topics ranging from Alyse Young and Witchcraft in Connecticut, the Supreme Court Case Griswold v. Connecticut, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, and the 1970 Kent State Shooting, to international topics related to the Third Reich and the Witch Hunts in Tanzania.
During the week-long competition (June 8-12), Connecticut students presented their work to teams of volunteer judges who reviewed entries, provided students valuable feedback, and selected the top finishers. Rebecca Taber also organized several activities for the Connecticut Team, including a trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with Connecticut Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and visit the Library of Congress and the U.S. Capitol.
Support for Connecticut History Day has been provided to CTDC through a partnership grant with Connecticut Humanities. Additional support is provided by the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, the New Haven Museum, and the Franklin Foundation. For more information, visit historydayct.org.
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The Connecticut Democracy Center (CTDC) provides people of all ages with a lifetime pathway to active citizenship and the tools to take civic action in their communities. With a broad range of initiatives including The Connecticut Network (CT-N), Connecticut’s Old State House, Connecticut History Day, Connecticut’s Kid Governor®, The Connecticut Democracy Center Debate Tournament, and We The People: The Citizen and The Constitution, The CTDC envisions a society where everyone is empowered to participate in our democracy. Learn more by visiting ctdemocracycenter.org and engaging on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.
PRESS RELEASE
June 12, 2025
Contact: Barbara Dell, Marketing Manager
Connecticut Democracy Center (860) 246-1553 ext. 116
barbara.dell@ctdemocracycenter.org