Tomcats compete at state history fairTomcats compete at state history fair

Three students from East High recently qualified to compete in the 2018 Illinois History Day competition held in Springfield on May 3.

State History Day qualifiers included Sam Stade and Sebastian Valerio, whose documentary on the Haymarket Riot qualified for the competition. The third state qualifier was sophomore Sama Kreidi, for her research paper titled “Ida B. Wells’ Progressive Fight Against Lynching”.

Stade and Valerio were also honored at an awards ceremony held at the Chicago History Museum, as they received the Les Orear Memorial Award for Labor Rights.  

The three Tomcats had already advanced through three levels of competition to qualify for the Illinois History Day (state finals for History Fair). 

History students at East High began working on their projects back in September. Students must choose a topic from local/state history that fits the national theme. This year’s theme was “Conflict and Compromise in History”.

Students must conduct research in both primary and secondary sources, compose an original thesis, and present their findings in one of the following mediums: Exhibit, Media Documentary, Research Paper, or Live Performance.

Competition began in December, when East High’s annual school History Fair was held. Social Studies teachers judged projects and selected those that advanced to the Suburban Regional competition, held in February. Projects from there were selected to advance to Chicago Metro Finals held in April at the Chicago History Museum.

Both projects were judged at the state competition on May 3 for various awards and potential qualification for the National History Day. Only two projects in each category qualify for the National History Day competition.

While neither project advanced to the national competition, both earned a “Superior” rating at Illinois History Day. Stade and Valerio scored 97/100 for their documentary, and East High is still awaiting the final score for Kreidi’s research paper.

Metro Finals with additional qualifiers, from left to right: Solea Smith, 10; Sam Stade, 10; Sebastian Valerio, 10; Alyssa Holguin, 10; David Hernandez, 10; Andrea Campos, 11; Yohana Alcala, 11; Cindy Del Cid, 11; Jollyana Martinez, 11; and Carolina Nicasio, 11.

East High Social Studies teacher Matthew Caylor is the Social Studies Club Advisor for East Aurora High School. East High has a strong tradition of success in this competition with students qualifying for NHD in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2017.