Five Houghton High School Students Among Michigan History Day State Champions

Five Houghton High School students are among the winners selected at the State Finals competition of Michigan History Day.

Nearly 500 Michigan elementary, middle and high school students—a record-setting number—took part in this year’s Michigan History Day, which is an educational program of the Historical Society of Michigan.

The state competition was held in Bay City on Saturday.

Among the 153 students receiving top honors were include Lana Alaraje, Katie Bershing, Abby Woodford, Eva Nemiroff and Emily Koszykowski.

The finalists in the junior and senior divisions will now move on to the National History Day competition this June in College Park, Maryland.

Here is the full press release with a link to all the winners:

BAY CITY, Mich.—A total of 153 students received top honors at the State Finals competition of Michigan History Day on Saturday, April 30, 2016, at Bay City Central High School in Bay City, Mich. Nearly 500 Michigan elementary, middle and high school students—a record-setting number—took part in this year’s Michigan History Day, which is an educational program of the Historical Society of Michigan. The finalists in the junior and senior divisions will now move on to the National History Day competition this June in College Park, Md.

The state champions for Michigan History Day 2016 include students from Ada, Bay City, Berkley, Bloomfield Township, Brighton, Cassopolis, Cedarville, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Holland, Houghton, Kalamazoo, Madison Heights, Marshall, Midland, Muskegon, Newberry, Pickford, Portage, Richland, Saginaw, South Haven, Traverse City, Westland and Whitehall.

Click here to download a PDF with the names of the winners, what school they are from, and the awards they won.

“This year’s theme—Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History—challenged the students toreally think outside the box,” said Andrea Lorion, Michigan History Day state coordinator. “As a result, there are many outstanding and diverse entries in all five categories—performances, exhibits, papers, websites and documentaries.”

Michigan History Day (National History Day in Michigan) offers a fascinating opportunity to move beyond routine learning. Based on the annual theme, students choose to explore and research a local, national or international historical topic. They then present their work through the disciplines of writing, art, literature, music, drama and/or visual communications.

Lead sponsors of Michigan History Day 2016 include Meijer, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Amway and Bay City Public Schools.