"How the Parker Brothers Rolled the Dice with Monopoly: A Turning Point in the Board Game Industry," a project by South City High students Josephine Harsana, Angeline Gloria, and Sabrina Aquino, is one of 13 that will advance to the state level round of the 2024 National History Day competition.
Thirteen projects by South City High students advanced to the state level round of the 2024 National History Day competition, which will take place in Sacramento from April 20-21.
It's a notable accomplishment, since South City High entered the county level round of competition at Saratoga High School with a total of 20 projects.
This year, students in the following categories advanced to the state level:
Individual Exhibit
- Tessa McMahon: "The Cat-Killing Pope: The Papal of Witches & Cats a Turning Point to the Black Death" (finalist)
Group Exhibit
- Josephine Harsana, Angeline Gloria, and Sabrina Aquino: "How the Parker Brothers Rolled the Dice with Monopoly: A Turning Point in the Board Game Industry" (finalist)
Individual Website
- Isabella Chuong: "Transforming Diabetes Care: Eli Lilly´s Partnership with University of Toronto in Insulin Development" (finalist)
- Gabriela Jimenez: "Instilling Equality in Confined Grounds: The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990" (finalist)
Group Website
- Adrian Arnaud, Jonathan Kam, Wesley Tan, and Edward Tian: "William B. Coley, the Father of Immunotherapy: A Crucial Victory in the Fight Against Cancer" (finalist)
- Renee Chu and Charleen Ho: "The Endangered Species Act: Wildlife's Last Hope for Survival" (finalist)
- Alessandra Campos and Tyler Llamas: "Las Carpetas: The American Spy Campaign Against Puerto Rican Nationalism" (finalist)
Group Podcast
- Malia Choy and Izabella Hidalgo: "Who Let the Purebred Dogs Out? How The Royal Kennel Club Transformed Breeding" (finalist)
- Lola Bourdon-Molina and Jaena Mia Manalo: "The Accidental Beginning of Radiology" (finalist)
Individual Documentary
- Sofia Godines: "The Nuclear Arms Race: The Redemption" (finalist)
Group Documentary
- Alyssa Batang, Audrina Lopez, and Kylie Situ: "The Kennedy v. Nixon Presidential Debate: Transforming Political Landscapes and Objectives" (finalist)
-
Abigail Yau and Benicio Chavez Cordell: "Aryanization: A Turning Point in Jewish Society" (finalist)
Individual Performance
- Perry Gu: "Life and Death: Fritz Haber's Opposite Contributions in History" (finalist)
The academic contest is a mainstay at South City High, which tends to do very well annually.
For National History Day, students conduct research on a historical topic and decide how to present their project in one of several formats:
- Research paper (individual)
- Exhibit (individual or group)
- Website (individual or group)
- Performance (individual or group)
- Documentary (individual or group)
Afterwards, students present their projects at school, and judges determine which ones will move on to the county level by using a rubric that assesses research, historical accuracy, argument, and project execution.
Winners at the county level advance to the state level in Sacramento.
The top two entries in each category in Sacramento advance to nationals, which typically take place in the Washington, DC area.
According to South City High history teacher Rhonda Clements, it is extremely difficult to win at the state level in California, because there is so much competition.
“Students have participated [in NHD] off and on for more than 20 years in our district,” said Clements. “SSFHS offers NHD program to more students than other schools in our county.”
Last year, South City High then-sophomores Alyssa Batang, Audrina Lopez, and Kylie Situ ('25) advanced to the final round of competition in the annual National History Day (NHD) contest by placing first in the group documentary category during the state level round of competition that took place in Sacramento from April 14-16, 2023.
Winners at the county level advance to the state level in Sacramento.
The top two entries in each category in Sacramento advance to nationals, which typically take place in the Washington, DC area.
According to South City High history teacher Rhonda Clements, it is extremely difficult to win at the state level in California, because there is so much competition.
“Students have participated [in NHD] off and on for more than 20 years in our district,” said Clements. “SSFHS offers NHD program to more students than other schools in our county.”
Last year, South City High then-sophomores Alyssa Batang, Audrina Lopez, and Kylie Situ ('25) advanced to the final round of competition in the annual National History Day (NHD) contest by placing first in the group documentary category during the state level round of competition that took place in Sacramento from April 14-16, 2023.
In 2022, then-juniors Charity Fan and Zoe Kwong ('23) also placed first at the state level in the group documentary category of California’s National History Day contest on May 7, 2022, for their project on the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
A complete list of awardees including runner-up recipients is available here: