IUSD students made a strong showing at this year’s National History Day-California, with 11 student projects emerging as junior and senior division champions.
Every year, National History Day contests attract more than half a million students in grades four through 12 at the local, county, state and national levels. Working individually or in teams, participants thoroughly researched historical topics over several months before submitting original projects, including exhibits, papers, documentaries, websites, posters, performances and even podcasts.
The theme for this year's competition was "Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History." Along with the nine IUSD projects named State Competition champions, several others from the district were recognized with honorable mentions or runner-up awards.
“These students have done more than study history; they’ve engaged with it in meaningful ways,” said IUSD Coordinator of History-Social Science, Content Literacy, and World Languages Blair Pador. “Through their presentations, they demonstrate a deep and thoughtful understanding of complex historical issues and how those issues continue to shape our world today.”
Journey to the National Contest
After competing in a two-day county competition hosted by the Orange County Department of Education in March, 34 IUSD elementary, middle and high school projects moved forward to the state competition.
About 1,600 students participated in California’s National History Day contest, which took place at Sacramento State from May 1 through May 3. More than 230 historians, educators and other professionals were on hand to interview students and evaluate their work.
Champions at the State Competition will advance to the NHD National Contest, which will take place June 14 through June 18 at the University of Maryland, College Park. Winners will be announced at a ceremony on the final day of the competition.
NHD-CA 2026 Champions
Junior Individual Documentary
From Revolution to Reform: Action to Reaction in the Third World Liberation Front
Joy Yan-Li
Venado Middle School
Teachers: Hector Gamboa
Senior Individual Documentary
Education Liberation: How the Black Panther Party’s Oakland Community School Revolutionized Education for Marginalized Students
Nicholas Soo
Irvine High School
Teachers: Jennifer Harrington
Junior Individual Exhibit
A Spark and a Slow Burn: The Monongah Mine Disaster
Hannah Hsiao
Sierra Vista Middle School
Teachers: Lianne Linck
Revolutionary Words: Jovita Idar’s Journalism, Reaction, and Struggle for Reform
Oliver Wiechmann
Sierra Vista Middle School
Teachers: Lianne Linck
Junior Group Exhibit
Junior Group Exhibit
Warrior of the Word: Maxine Hong Kingston’s Literary Revolution
Sophie Bi, Sharon Yitong Qian, Kylee Xiong
Sierra Vista Middle School
Teachers: Lianne Linck
Senior Individual Exhibit
The Day Iceland Stood Still: From National Reaction to Global Revolution and Reform
Yesha Gupta
Northwood High School
Teachers: Deanna Myers
Junior Individual Performance
Threads of Change: Revolution of the Loom, Reaction of the Workers, Reform in Code
Aria Yatavelli
Sierra Vista Middle School
Teachers: Lianne Linck
Junior Group Performance
Digging for Change: The Ludlow Miners and their Revolutionary Fight for Reforms
Mia Berryman, Masia Creamer
Sierra Vista Middle School
Teachers: Lianne Linck
Junior Group Podcast
Drawing the Line: Proposition 13 and the California Property Tax Revolution
Daniel Lu, Zixin Zhao
Rancho San Joaquin Middle School
Teachers: Aghassi Gharadaghian
Senior Group Podcast
Contamination to Regulation: Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in the American Meatpacking Industry
Sarie Kwak, Moksha Kolli
Northwood High School
Teachers: Deanna Myers
Senior Group Website
A Beep in the Sky, A Revolution Below: The Sputnik Crisis and the Reformation of American Education
Annie Kwak, Carson Lv, Aadhi Suresh
Northwood High School
Teachers: Deanna Myers
Special Awards
Asian American and Pacific Islander History Prize | California Foundation for History Education
Warrior of the Word: Maxine Hong Kingston’s Literary Revolution
Sophie Bi, Sharon Yitong Qian, Kylee Xiong
Sierra Vista Middle School
Bushong Award for Social Justice Legacy | Bushong Family
Education Liberation: How the Black Panther Party’s Oakland Community School Revolutionized Education for Marginalized Students
Nicholas Soo
Irvine High School
California Historic Places | California Office of Historic Preservation and California Historical Society
Education Liberation: How the Black Panther Party’s Oakland Community School Revolutionized Education for Marginalized Students
Nicholas Soo
Irvine High School
Individual in History | Friend of California History Day
The Freudian Revolution: How Reactions to Psychoanalysis Led to Reforms in Therapy
Francesca Holland
Portola High School
Labor History Prize | California Foundation for History Education
Digging for Change: The Ludlow Miners and their Revolutionary Fight for Reforms
Mia Berryman, Masia Creamer
Sierra Vista Middle School
Stephenson Family Award for Sports History | Friends of NHD-CA
Davis Barbee, Krish Marfatia, Aryan Shah, Kaito Yamashita
More Than a Game: How the St. Louis Cardinals Revolutionary Act Against Segregation Led to MLB Reforms
Sierra Vista Middle School
The Clio Historical Paper Award - Honorable Mention | History Department, California State University Sacramento
The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934: Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in Federal Indian Policy
Anirvinyaa Bangole
University High School
William E. Geary Award for Military History | Bluestone Faircloth Olson, LLP
How the Revolutionary Harlem Hellfighters Helped Reform America
Max Castrapel
Sierra Vista Middle School