Sophomores Justin Choung and Dmitri Efimov will be attending the History Day Nationals from June 11 through 15 in College Park, Maryland after qualifying in the state competition in April. They qualified by winning first place in the senior group website category at the April Competition. The title of their website is “The Iranian Revolution.”

Prior to the National Competition, Choung and Efimov will submit their website to the judges. During the competition, the students will be interviewed by the judges about both their research process and their final product.

“It feels surprising above all to qualify for Nationals since we had to place in the top two in our category. There were so many other great projects in our category so it felt great to hear our name called for first place,” Choung said.

Efimov was also honored to have qualified for the national competition.

“It feels great and surprising that we were picked to go over all the other students who we competed against,” Efimov said.

The students prepared by revising their website with the feedback that they received at the state competition.

Social studies teachers Kara Trubia and Emma Tuthill are the advisors of the History Day club.

“Dmitri and Justin worked diligently throughout the year to produce a sophisticated product based on a topic they were passionate about. This is a very competitive process and an honor for students to qualify and have the opportunity to compete at an even higher level,” Trubia said.

They will also have the opportunity to go exhibit viewing and attend a student dance as guests of the competition.

While in Maryland, the students have planned activities to travel into Washington D.C. to visit the United States Capitol Building and the National Archives.

Students who are a part of the History Day Team are expected to do extensive research and work together as a team.

“History Day is a wonderful opportunity for students to engage in the historical research process.  I firmly believe that students who are involved in this club are better prepared for research at the collegiate level. History Day also helps students build important skills for the future such as public speaking skills,” Tuthill said