Xavier Students Place 2nd in State History Day Contest

Two Xavier students were among 350 from 56 Connecticut schools at the Classical Magnet School in Hartford April 18 to find out if they placed at the Connecticut State History Day Contest.  

This contest is the culmination of months of hard work by students as part of the History Day in Connecticut program.

Middletown's Xavier High School placed second in the website group category for "Civil War in Connecticut," by students Miraj Rahematpura and Mario Chris. They are among first- and second-place winners who advance to the National History Day contest June 10-14 at the University of Maryland at College Park.

State competitors were identified from a pool of contestants at five regional contests throughout the state.  

Connecticut Explored, the magazine of Connecticut History, donated free subscriptions to first-place winners in order to support and encourage study of Connecticut history. Students were awarded one of the 13 donor-sponsored special awards, including the Outstanding Entry in Maritime History, Outstanding Entry in Early American History, and Outstanding Entry Related to Civics, Government or Citizenship. These special awards are sponsored by numerous donors and organizations. 

The state competition involved students in grades 6-12, with separate categories for the Junior Division (grades 6-8) and Senior Division (grades 9-12). In each division, there are nine contest categories which provide for individual and group projects in formats ranging from traditional written papers to dramatic performances, documentaries, and exhibits. 

A diverse range of entries related to this year’s theme of Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History marked this year’s state contest. A total of 203 projects were presented. 

Topics included: a paper exploring Social Darwinism, an exhibit on Samuel Colt, a performance depicting the Warsaw Uprising, a documentary on the revolutionary idea of a silicone chip, and a website on the Freedom Riders. Many of the student projects will be on display at Connecticut’s Old State House from June 9 until the end of August.