Spring Break is here but many students will still be working away on school projects. That’s doubly true for the Suffern High School History Team.
Last year in its first year as a competitive team, the Suffern High School History Team presented its way to the New York State History Day competition in Cooperstown, NY. And this year, after being awarded the Regional Finalist for Senior Group Performance at the Lower Hudson Valley Regional competition in early March, the Suffern freshmen team of Shannon Hart, Amy McDonough, Olivia O’Reilly, Renee Romagnoli and Calli Santangelo are headed back to the big show again on April 29.
The team delivered a dramatic portrayal of American women who have fought for equality conforming to this year’s theme: the “Turning Points in History: People, Ideas and Events.” Students submitted entries in categories that included Documentary, Performance, Exhibit, Historical Paper and Web Site. More than 240 middle and high school students representing school districts across the Hudson Valley competed in the annual event at St. Thomas Aquinas College.
“All the students did a wonderful job,” said Suffern High social studies teacher and team advisor Richard Burger, who received technical support from information literacy coordinator Rob Lyons and librarian Dominick Martiniello. “Freshmen Madelyn Ritter, Marina Tekeyan and Jessica Ferrar did a tremendous job presenting their Walt Disney group website,” Burger said. “In the Individual Senior Website category, junior Shahrukh Iqbal created a great website detailing the impact of the personal computer on society.”
Like many of the other schools, Suffern entered several teams in the competition. This year, the club fielded three entries for the regional contest. Only in its second year, Burger is hoping to build Suffern High School’s National History Day Club into a regular powerhouse. Students who love history and competition, like to be creative and enjoy working independently are encouraged to join next October.
Last year’s team put together a website chronicling local Ramapo school desegregation called The Little Red School House: A Story of Desegregation, which chronicled school desegregation in Hillburn, NY, and pieced together archival photos and news stories with interviews of local residents that featured information about the Main and Brook schools in Hillburn during the early 1930s. Much of the information had never before been formally collected into a cohesive narrative and the team was invited to present its project to the Ramapo Central Board of Education.
Last year’s project placed third at the state Cooperstown competition in the Senior Group Website category. Burger said this year’s club members benefited from the experience of past competitors.
“All of the teams who participated last year returned to give back this year,” reported Burger. “Most notable were Paige Bergstol, Deidre Quinn and Sarah Goldman; they really helped this year’s participants to develop their projects and prepare for competition.”
Burger said that many of the seniors who participated in National History Day last year have were accepted into their first-choice colleges. “One student felt that her participation may have helped her get into two ‘reach’ schools.” Burger said. “I don’t know if that’s true, but the club certainly has a lot to offer our students.”
Photos and information courtesy of Jennifer Citrolo at Ramapo Central Schools.
