PLEASANT HILL, Calif. — Students from schools in Contra Costa County competed in the annual Contra Costa County National Day of History event on Saturday, March 4 at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif. Individuals, or groups with the highest scores in each category are now eligible to participate in California History Day, April 15-16 at Sacramento State. Those who win at the state competition become eligible to advance to National History Day.
Research for the county event began at the beginning of the school year as students prepared historical papers, exhibits, performances, documentaries, and websites about this year’s theme: Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.
Students who are eligible to participate in California National History Day competition are as follows:
ELEMENTARY DIVISION (Grades 4 & 5)
Individual Poster Champions
The Radio Saga by Ishaan Halgeri / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
Frontiers for Women in Medicine by Juliette Chen / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
Alan Turing by Ryan Wei / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
The Small Pox Vaccine by Yashita Nahako / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
Individual Poster Runner Up
The Atomic Theory by Ryan Sung / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
Group Poster Champions
The Berlin Wall – The Rise of a Frontier by Sidh Bugata, Zidaan Barodawala, and Aarav Brijesh / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
Discovering Radium and Polonium, How Marie Curie Opened Up a New Medical Frontier by Ella Chandhoke, Kruthi Srigiriraju / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
Florence Kelley: The Chief Factory Inspector by Aleksandra Steel, Leanne Yee, and Robin Byun / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
Jawaharlal Nehu: statesman, visionary & pioneer by Sahana Datla / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
Group Poster Runner Up
The Secret War by Shalini Sajith, Diya Karthikeyan and Rhea Gourishetty / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
JUNIOR DIVISION (Grades 6-8)
Documentary Champion - Mounted Barbarians: How the Mongols Invention of the Stirrup Created a Frontier in Military Technology, by Inaaya Hyder / Windemere Ranch Middle School, San Ramon Valley USD
Documentary Champion - Radium Girls! The Shocking Story that Created Modern Workplace Safety by Akanksh Borah / Windemere Ranch Middle School, San Ramon Valley USD
Exhibit Individual Champion - Stargazers of the Sea: Polynesian Conquest of the Pacific Frontier by Vishnu Satyanarayna / Gale Ranch Middle School, San Ramon Valley USD
Exhibit Group Champion - Unrecognized Figures: Technological Breakthroughs made by the Creators of Apollo 11 by Praneel Bandi, Srikruthi Namburi, and Trisha Kumar / Gale Ranch Middle School, San Ramon Valley USD
Paper Individual Champion - Alexandra Kollontai: Russian Working Women Unite! By Noor Gowra / Windemere Ranch Middle School, San Ramon Valley USD
Website Individual Champion - Chien-Shiung Wu: The First Lady of Physics by Ariel Liu / Windemere Ranch Middle School, San Ramon Valley USD
Website Individual Champion - The Stonewall Riots: The First Act of Rebellion by Niti Bhatt /Pine Valley Middle School, San Ramon Valley USD
Website Group Champion - The Wisconsin Angel: The Woman Who Redefined the Frontiers of Healthcare During the Civil War by Sruthi Nimmagadda and Smayna Kasibhotla / Windemere Ranch Middle School, San Ramon Valley USD
SENIOR DIVISION (Grades 9-12)
Exhibit Individual Champion - Grand Theft Autonomy: How the Exploitation of Henrietta Lacks Fueled Medical Frontiers but Failed Patient Rights by Sarasvati Satyanarayana / Dougherty Valley High School, San Ramon Valley USD
Paper Individual Champion - How did the British dominate Anglo-Chinese relations and gain economic and political control within China in the 19th century? By Ruihan Zhang, Athenian School
Performance Group Champion – Space Race: Exploring the New Frontier by Mohan Krishnan and Amiya Sheshadri / Dougherty Valley High School, San Ramon Valley USD
Podcast Group Champion – Historical Frontiers in the Internet: Section 230 by Carter Considine, Aria Capelli, and Carolyn Considine / Campolindo High School, Acalanes Union High School District
Website Group Champion – Pioneering the Polio Vaccine: The Push for Prevention by Adviti Aleti and Stuthi Kandula / Dougherty Valley High School, San Ramon Valley USD
Special Topics Awards – The Musuem of San Ramon Valley – Award for Excellence in Local History and Exemplary all around:
Website Individual - Chien-Shiung Wu: The First Lady of Physics by Ariel Liu / Windemere Ranch Middle School, San Ramon Valley USD
Poster Group - Jawaharlal Nehru: statesman, visionary & pioneer by Sahana Datla / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
Saint Mary’s College Special Topics Awards -
Gender History – with Women’s and Gender Studies Program –
Individual Poster - Frontiers for Women in Medicine by Juliette Chen / Homeschool, San Ramon Valley USD
Ethnic Studies –A People’s History – with Ethnic Studies Program -
Individual Poster - Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, A Frontier in the Fight for Equality by Ayana Gwalani / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
Enviornmental History – with Enviornmental and Earth Sciences
Individual Poster - First Time Exploring the Deepest Part of the Ocean by Archit Kundu / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
Global History – with Global and Regional Studies Program
Group Poster - The Haitian Act of Independence by Pranav Barani, Rishabh Kaushik, and Vedh Pedaballi / Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon Valley USD
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About Contra Costa County Office of Education
One of 58 counties in California, Contra Costa County has the 9th largest public-school student population in the state (approximately 158,401 students). Officially established in 1932, the CCCOE has a long history of providing direct services to some of our county's most vulnerable students, including young people who are incarcerated, homeless, or in foster care, as well as students who have severe physical or emotional challenges.
CCCOE also provides support services to schools and school districts in Contra Costa County; services that can be handled most effectively and economically on a regional basis rather than by each of the county's 285 schools or 18 school districts. These services range from budget approval and fiscal support to technology infrastructure, communication support, and high-level professional development opportunities for educators. CCCOE maintains a website at www.cocoschools.org.