Marlboro Middle School pupils shine in history

MARLBORO - Fourteen Marlboro Middle School students received special recognition or first-, second- or third-place awards at the New Jersey National History Day competition held at William Paterson University, Wayne, on May 6. The students are enrolled in Barbara Gallo's social studies seminar classes.

A total of 37 seventh- and eighth-grade students competed in one of seven categories - historical paper, individual documentary, group documentary, individual performance, group performance, individual exhibit and group exhibit. This year's theme was "Taking a Stand in History."

The awards for historical paper were as follows:

+ First place: Shameek Gayen, seventh grade, "Taking a Stand in History: From Language Movement to Creation of a Nation."

+ Third place: Jerry Shen, eighth grade, "A. Philip Randolph: Pioneer of the African American Labor Union."

The awards for group documentary were as follows:

+ First place: Ankur Goyal and A.J. Malhotra, eighth grade, "Shattering the Iron Fist: Lech Walesa and Solidarity."

+ Second place: Evan Lee and David Rinder, eighth grade, "Roosevelt's Alphabet: A New Way to Spell Government."

The awards for group performance were as follows:

+ First place: Neha Mukunda and Sophia Nguyen, eighth grade, "Margaret Sanger: A General in the Battle for Birth Control, A Soldier in the War for Women's Rights."

+ Third place: Alan Chernoff and Shreyas Ranganna, seventh grade, "Moses of America: The Achievements of Harriet Tubman."

The awards for group exhibit were as follows:

+ Second place: Allyn Budka and Dianna Vento, seventh grade, "Seeing is Believing: Lewis Hine and the Stand Against Child Labor."

In addition, students were recognized with the following special awards:

+ Military history awarded by the New Jersey Naval Museum ($100 for each student); Harmeet Dhingra and Evan Martin, seventh grade, "Trenton, 1776: Washington's Battle for a Nation."

+ Best use of newspapers in a project; Allyn Budka and Dianna Vento, seventh grade, "Seeing is Believing: Lewis Hine and the Stand against Child Labor."

+ Best use of primary sources awarded by the National Archives; Jerry Shen, eighth grade, "A. Philip Randolph: Pioneer of the African American Labor Union."

The nine Marlboro Middle School students who placed first and second qualified to represent New Jersey at the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland in June. At that time, more than 300 historians and educational professionals will evaluate the students' work. Last year two Marlboro Middle School students placed ninth in the nation with their group exhibit.

Each fall, more than 500,000 students nationwide begin the year-long National History Day program, competing in a series of history contests in their respective states. First- and second-place winners in each category continue on in the national contest.

Participating students choose their own topics of study and research from original sources.