Seven EPISD students qualify for National History Day tournament
(EL PASO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT -- May 4, 2021) — Seven EPISD middle- and high-school students earned a trip to the virtual National History Day competition this year.
More than 100 students competed in National History with 32 students advancing to the state competition and seven qualifying for nationals. This year's theme is "Communication in History: The Key to Understanding."
These yearlong thematically linked research projects consist of individual or group categories which account for hundreds of hours of independent work by these students both in school and on their own time. Working with their teachers to push for the highest quality presentation of their findings, these students not only learn a love for history, but valuable research, writing, and presentation skills that will follow them well into the future. The bar for success is high and advancing to the national level is extremely difficult.
EPISD’s seven national qualifiers and their project are:
- From El Paso High School: Hanna Rodriguez and Valentina Vasquez in the Senior Group Website category for “Bletchley Park: Cracking the ‘Enigma’ Code.”
- From Hornedo Middle School: Samuel Dove and Ruth Dove in the Junior Group Performance category for “The True Heroes of Communication: The Hello Girls Win Battles in WWII and Beyond.”
- From Hornedo Middle School: Rocio Nordquist in the Junior Paper category for “Unlocking the Enemy's Secrets: How Bletchley Park Used the Communication of the Axis Powers to Aid the Allies.”
- From Wiggs Middle School: Athena Chaparro and Jarek Ortega in the Junior Group Exhibit category.
Good luck at Nationals!