BHS Students Advance to State Level of National History Day

Bronxville High School freshmen and sophomores earned top awards at the 2024 Lower Hudson Valley History Day Competition, held at St. Thomas Aquinas College on March 16.

“What an amazing day for Bronxville students,” said teacher Dana Landesman, who oversees the program. “We dominated the competition again this year and have many students moving on to the state competition. We are sending on students in every category.”

In addition to Landesman, members of the history department, including Chris Doyle, Eva Gambino, Steve Klurfeld and Martin Patmos have worked tirelessly to support and motivate students to produce outstanding work.

“The National History Day experience allows students to explore a topic of interest in such a unique way,” Patmos said. “As students research and develop their projects, they continually grow and build their knowledge. They’ve worked hard and we are very proud of these students and their recognition.”

Having conducted extensive historical research on a topic of their choice, the students’ authentic work focused on this year’s theme of “Turning Points in History.” At the regional competition, they were interviewed by professors and scholars and articulated what they’ve discovered through their historical research, which is displayed in either paper, website, documentary, performance or exhibit.

“We are immensely proud of all of the students’ accomplishments,” Gambino said. “The remarkable depth of their research and the dedication they’ve shown are truly evident in the outstanding work they have created.”

Congratulations to the following students who have advanced to the state competition in these categories:

Papers

• Sebastian Jew – first place.
• Andrew Gay – third place.

Individual Documentaries 

• Emma Yeon – first place.
• Charlie Greenfield – second place.

Individual Performance 

• Mustafa Khizar – first place.

Group Documentaries 

• Anette Dani, Annie Marshall, Charlotte Murray – first place.
• Thomas Freeman, Nicolas Gonda, Simon Leka, John Shah, Fletcher van Tienhoven –second place.
• Matteo Del Prete, Lucas Gonzalez, Cooper Keating, Leo Poggi, Kai Schubert – third place.

Websites

Individual Websites

• Elizabeth Barnes – first place.
• Faith Belke – second place.

Group Websites

• Rishaan Brainch and Andre Kahraman – second place.
• Dimitri Kedas and Thomas Ruhanen – third place.

Exhibits

Individual Exhibits

• Eva Mihova – first place.
• Emerson Dennis – second place.
• Travis Hamerling – third place.

Group Exhibits 

• Caroline Hardart, Louise Jacobs and Virginia Shah – first place.
• Peyton Levine and Isabel Yeon – second place.
• Kara Kochansky and Finlay Rowan – third place.