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ALBANY, NY – Fifty-eight middle and high school students from throughout the Capital District won top prizes in the Capital Region History Day Contest at the Cultural Education Center and will advance to the state competition in Cooperstown on April 23.

The contest, held March 24, attracted 135 students and 90 entries from schools in Albany, Clifton Park, Delmar, Guilderland, Granville, Voorheesville, Troy, and Schenectady. They competed in the preliminary regional competition of the National History Day Contest. The national theme for this year’s competition is “Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History.”

After working on their entries for many months, competitors qualified for the regional contest by doing well at contests held at individual schools throughout the area. Students researched history topics of their choice related to the theme to create exhibits, documentaries, performances, research papers and website designs. Participants included students in grades 6-8 in the Junior Division and grades 9-12 in the Senior Division. The program culminates in the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest June 10-14 at the University of Maryland.College Park.

There were two special prizes for those in the regional competition. This year’s Archives Partnership Trust awards for the best use of historical records were won by Emily Couper, Granville Junior High School for "The Red Scare: America's Reaction to Communism" (Junior Individual Documentary) and Rachel Clare Lee of Clayton A. Bouton High School in Voorheesville for "Civilian Conservation Corps: Employment with a Purpose” (Senior Individual Exhibit). Each of these winners will receive a $100 savings bond.

National History Day is the nation’s leading program for history education in the schools.

It makes history come alive for America's youth by engaging them in the discovery of the historic, cultural and social experiences of the past. Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of teachers and parents nationwide, participate in the contest.

The Office of Cultural Education (OCE), housed in the Cultural Education Center, operates three major institutions with stewardship responsibilities for collections — the New York State Museum, State Library, and State Archives — and the Office of Educational Television and Public Broadcasting. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Cultural Education Center is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about OCE programs and events can be obtained by visiting the OCE website at www.oce.nysed.gov/ .

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EDITORS NOTE: The list below identifies the winners in the regional competition who will go on to the state competition.

National History Day Capital Region Contest Winners

Junior Historical Paper

1st place Abigail Bemis, “Ida Tarbell,” Farnsworth MS, Guilderland (Teacher: Deborah Escobar)

2nd place Jonah Goldstein, “The Spark that Lit the Fire,” Farnsworth MS, Guilderland (Teacher: Deborah Escobar)

Junior Individual Documentary

1st place Sean Quinn, “Feeding the World? The Green Revolution,” Farnsworth MS, Guilderland (Teacher: Deborah Escobar)

2nd place Emily Couper, “The Red Scare: America's Reaction to Communism,”

Granville JHS, Granville (Teacher: Ann O'Brien)

Junior Group Documentary

1st place Sami Dawood, Set Elbnat Eltayeb, Asiyah Moore, Amanda Ewiss, Amnah Dhailia, “Troy: A Bloodless Revolution,” An Nur Islamic School, Schenectady (Teacher:

Sharifa Din)

2nd place Robert Willard, Johan Melanson, Dan Connolly, “The Lenin Legacy: Reform,” Bethlehem Central MS, Delmar (Teacher: Kristen Burns)

Junior Group Performance

1st place Eman Khan, Alina Mufti, Badia Dhailia, “The Queen Stands Alone,”

An Nur Islamic School, Schenectady (Teachers: Nasibah Elmi, Sharifa Din)

Junior Individual Exhibit

1st place Erik Zilgme, “How Countries Reactions to Chernobyl Changed Nuclear Safety For the Better,” Bethlehem Central MS, Delmar (Teacher: Kristen Burns)

2nd place Matthew Kinnally, “Berthe Morisot,” Farnsworth MS, Guilderland (Teacher:

Deborah Escobar)

Junior Group Exhibit

1st place Arzoo Nasrat, Felicia Yasin, Farhat Ahmad, Fatima Kareme, “Through the Artist's Eyes,” An Nur Islamic School, Schenectady (Teacher: Sharifa Din)

2nd place Stephanie Konas, Erin Metz, Desiree Larrivee, “Life in the Japanese Internment Camp: A Reaction to the Bombing of Pearl Harbor,” Bethlehem Central MS

(Teacher: Kristen Burns)

Junior Individual Web Sites

1st place Will Wang, “Newsboy Strike,” Farnsworth MS, Guilderland (Teacher: Deborah Escobar)

2nd place Sarah Jones, “Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” Farnsworth MS (Teacher: Deborah Escobar)

Junior Group Web Sites

1st place Lindsey Garrant, Naomi Carter, “Coco Chanel,” Farnsworth MS (Teacher: Deborah Escobar)

2nd place Jordyn Sommo, Samantha Stern, “Grace Hopper,” Farnsworth MS (Teacher: Deborah Escobar)

Senior Historical Paper

1st place Daniel Janeczko,”The Erie Canal: Revolution of Transportation and Internal Improvement,” Shenendehowa HS (Teacher: Amber McLain−Quinn)

2nd place Michelle Kang, “Love Canal,” Guilderland HS (Teacher, Deborah Escobar)

Senior Individual Documentary

1st place Anthony Segreto, “Robert Oppenheimer: Pioneer of the Atomic Age,”

Shenendehowa HS (Teacher: Amber McLain− Quinn)

Senior Group Documentary

1st place Noah Hanson, John Michalowski, Jerome Pabulayan, Theodore Kruk,

“The Revolution of Aviation,” Shenendehowa HS (Teacher: Amber McLain− Quin n)

Senior Individual Performance

1st place Courtland Ingraham, “American Savoir−Faire: Benjamin Franklin's

Ultimate Game Of Chess,” Guilderland HS (Teacher: Deborah Escobar)

2nd place Molly Poniatowski, “Little Steps of Bravery,” Shenendehowa HS (Teacher: Amber McLain− Quinn)

Senior Group Performance

1st place Kristyn Donohue, Olivia Acker, “Revolution, Reaction and Reform for

Women's Suffrage,” Shenendehowa HS (Teacher: Amber McLain−Quinn)

2nd place Olivia Nadel, Fiona McAuley, Leslie LaBrecque, Jenny Appel, “Clara Barton −Angel of the Battlefield,” Shenendehowa HS (Teacher: Amber McLain−Quinn)

Senior Individual Exhibit

1st place Rachel Lee, “Civilian Conservation Corps: Employment with a Purpose,”

Clayton A. Bouton HS, Voorheesville (Teacher: Tom Gladd)

2nd place Zoe Elwell, “The Hippie Movement,” Guilderland HS (Teacher: Deborah Escobar)

Senior Group Exhibit

1st place Abigail Schnoor, Lixinbei Jing, “Shaping the U.S. Constitution —The

Revolution, Reaction, and Reform,” Guilderland HS (Teacher: Deborah Escobar)

2nd place Montana Stone, Siena Marcelle, “A Crude Awakening: The Santa Barbara Oil Spill of 1969,” Bethlehem Central HS, Delmar (Teacher: Nick Petraccione)

Senior Individual Web Sites

1st place Marc Billow, “The Digital Revolution,” Granville JHS (Teacher: James Marsfelder)

2nd place Betheny Crescenzi, “Benjamin Franklin,” Shenendehowa HS (Teacher: Amber McLain− Quinn)

Senior Group Web Sites

1st place Sky Sardi, Allan McNeil, Alex Listing, “The Revolution of Aircraft Materials,” Questar III−Rensselaer Education Center, Troy (Teachers: John Mahony, Mary Bayham, Mary Bayham, Michael Gerrish)

2nd place Jacob Parslow, Justin Ryan, “Video Game Engine Development: Revolutionizes Play,” Questar III−Rensselaer Education Center, Troy (Teachers: Mary Bayham, Lewis Cappelli)