Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee Announces Winners of the 2022 Florida History Day State Contest

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –

Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee is pleased to announce the winners of the annual Florida History Day (FHD) contest administered by the Museum of Florida History. This year’s state contest was held at Tallahassee Community College on May 2 with the top student entries from 28 Florida counties participating.

“I want to congratulate this year’s Florida History Day winners, as well as all of the students who participated, and the teachers who supported them,” said Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee. “I had the opportunity to see some of the projects and I was incredibly impressed by the students’ thorough research, creativity, and hard work.”

At this year’s state competition 782 middle and high school students presented award-winning research in a variety of media including documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances, and websites. The top two winners of each category are invited to represent Florida at the National History Day (NHD) contest in June.

Listed below are the students who received awards. A listing of statewide winners by award category is available on the Florida History Day website here.

STATEWIDE STUDENT WINNERS:

Junior Historical Paper

1st Place

Sarah Tanveer

The Indian March To Sovereignty Debate

Brown Barge Middle School (Escambia)

Teacher: Lauren Meiss

2nd Place

Ananya Chaki

A League of Their Own: The International Journey from Confrontation to Collaboration

Brown Barge Middle School (Escambia)

Teacher: Lauren Meiss

3rd Place

Victoria Garduno

The Crisis in the Caribbean

Sarasota Middle School (Sarasota)

Teacher: Jennifer Jaso

 

Senior Historical Paper

1st Place

Lily Clarke

Deciding Their Fate: The Valladolid Debate Regarding Indigenous Peoples’ Treatment Within the Encomienda System

Creekside High School (St. Johns)

Teacher: Laura Bagby

2nd Place

Cate Rozier

“The Chinese Don’t Belong in the United States of America”: The Impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act and its Lingering Effect on American Politics

Leon High School (Leon)

Teacher: Jeannine Meis

3rd Place

Angel Potter

Mr. President, How Long Must Women Wait For Liberty?

Lakewood Ranch High School (Manatee)

Teacher: Tom Honsa

 

Junior Individual Documentary

1st Place

Daniel Park

The Pacific Northwest Fish Wars: Resolving Debates, Reestablishing Treaty Rights

Cypress Creek Middle School (Pasco)

Teacher: Lauren Miley

2nd Place

Brandon Fritz

Comic Books Public Enemy No 1: Jolting Tales of the Comic Book Debate of the 1940s and 1950s

Calvary Christian Academy (Broward)

Teacher: Sharon Low

3rd Place

Jahmari Muhqueed

Controversy Over a State-Splitting Canal: The Cross Florida Barge Canal

Dunedin Highland Middle School (Pinellas)

Teacher: Teresa Bergstrom

 

Junior Group Documentary

1st Place    

Deven Patel, Shaan Patel, Armand Haghighat

Ping-Pong Diplomacy

University Academy Sabl Inc (Bay)

Teacher: Dianne Johnston

2nd Place

William Kent, Naveen Yengera, Owen Toal

The Non-Aligned Movement: Successes and Failures of Diplomacy in a World of Debate

Dunedin Highland Middle School (Pinellas)

Teacher: Teresa Bergstrom

3rd Place

Fernando Laboy, Joel Henning, Aaden Raines

The 10th Amendment and the Debate Over States' Rights in Elections

The King’s Academy (Palm Beach)

Teacher: Jenny Rebour

 

Senior Individual Documentary

1st Place

Allan An

Opera Diplomacy: The Legacy of a Beijing Opera Troupe’s 1960 Canadian Tour

Frank W. Springstead High School (Hernando)

Teacher: Suzanne Miranda

2nd Place

Lucy Guo

Global Debate and Diplomacy: The International Woman Suffrage Alliance

Seminole High School (Seminole)

Teacher: Adam Carpenter

3rd Place

Elizabeth Patrick

The Path to Paris

Osceola County School for the Arts (Osceola)

Teacher: John Crane

 

Senior Group Documentary

1st Place

Arman Kumaraswamy, Rohil Agarwal

A Final Grasp for Peace: Debate and Diplomacy Within the Christmas Truce

Land O’Lakes High School (Pasco)

Teacher: Jennifer O'Connor-Podraza

2nd Place

Thomas Poulos, Nicolas Villacorta, Andrea Ferrera,  Nichole Bello, Daniel Cuesta

Terror and Terms Rise as Tears and Towers Fall

Calvary Christian Academy (Broward)

Teacher: Sharon Low

3rd Place

Kate Bentley, Madison Wall

The Forgotten Florida Wade-Ins: Wading into the Desegregation Debate

Plant High School (Hillsborough)

Teacher: Eric Gavin

 

Junior Individual Performance

1st Place

William Mustain

Peace at Last?: The Diplomatic Struggles and Consequences of the Northern Ireland Conflict and the Good Friday Agreement

Breakfast Point Academy (Bay)

Teacher: Christine Sermons

2nd Place

Clara Powell

Tinkering with Torpedoes

Martin Luther King Middle School (Santa Rosa)

Teacher: Christopher Early

3rd Place

Aubrey Indorf

The Actors Strike of 1919

DUNEDIN HIGHLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL (Pinellas)

Teacher: Teresa Bergstrom

 

Junior Group Performance

1st Place

Kylin Reynolds, Noah-Duro André, Brianne Pierre

“A World Made New”, the Debates and Diplomacy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Pembroke Pines Charter West (Broward)

Teacher: Deanne Reynolds

2nd Place

Fiona DeAcutis, Elenor Chapman, Abi Bennett

Are Women People? The Debate Of The Century

Markham Woods Middle School (Seminole)

Teacher: Deborah Childers

3rd Place

Julia Brannon, Saleema Hinkle, Eleanor Brackett, Saylor Dezenzo, Katie Baumann

Dearest Mother: Anne Morgan’s Private Diplomacy and the American Committee for Rebuilding Devastated France

Breakfast Point Academy (Bay)

Teacher: Christine Sermons

 

Senior Individual Performance

1st Place

Riane Williams

The Great Strike Wave of 1877: A Cry for Recognition

Leon High School (Leon)

Teacher: Jeannine Meis

 

Senior Group Performance

1st Place

Soleil Escobar, Zoe Tibbs

Honoring Henrietta

Calvary Christian Academy (Broward)

Teacher: Sharon Low

2nd Place

Bhavika Agarwal, Krina Parikh, Jaya Parsa

The Fall of the Wall

Fort Myers High School (Lee)

Teacher: Debra Dailidonis

3rd Place

Brendan Black, Jack Bradley, Jake Rice

The Polar Bears Protest

Seminole High School (Pinellas)

Teacher: Josh Roberson

 

Junior Individual Exhibit

1st Place

Olivia Gambert

Thirteen Days and Nights on the Brink of Nuclear War

Sarasota Middle School (Sarasota)

Teacher: Jennifer Jaso

2nd Place

Autumn Walker

The Enduring Moral Debate and Diplomacy of the Kindertransport

University Academy Sabl INC (Bay)

Teacher: Dianne Johnston

3rd Place

Sai Sravanthi Kotagarlapalle

The Iran Hostage Crisis: 444 Days of Chaos, Debate and Diplomacy

Farnell Middle School (Hillsborough)

Teacher: Holly Hartman

 

Junior Group Exhibit

1st Place

Vasili Makryllos, Marina Stathopoulos, Vasilios Stathopoulos

Debating Greece's Borders: The Cradle of Diplomatic Treaties Nationalism

Plato Academy Charter School Tarpon Springs (Pinellas)

Teacher: Andreas Mandelos

2nd Place

Brooklyn Bentley, Brooke Boutwell

The Ocoee Massacre

Hobbs Middle School (Santa Rosa)

Teacher: Stephanie Mainer

3rd Place

Jillian Tuzon, Kaniyah Johnson, Veronica Archipova, Simmons Brown

An American in Berlin: Ambassador William Dodd & The Debate over Diplomacy with Nazi Germany

Breakfast Point Academy (Bay)

Teacher: Christine Sermons

 

Senior Individual Exhibit

1st Place

Kierian Smith

The Voyages of Captain Cook: Gunpower Diplomacy and the Ethics of Colonialism

Treasure Coast High School (St. Lucie)

Teacher: Matthew Smith

2nd Place

Victoria Marquez

Guns Pointed Inwards: Japanese Americans' Road of Doggedly Debate for Much-Deserved Diplomacy

Sickles High School (Hillsborough)

Teacher: Gregory Burr

3rd Place

Murphy Cintron

The Debate and Diplomacy of the Benin Bronzes

Leon High School (Leon)

Teacher: Jeannine Meis

 

Senior Group Exhibit

1st Place

Fernanda Castillo, Erin Francis

The Path to the Cure: Vaccine Diplomacy and the Polio Virus

Leon High School (Leon)

Teacher: Jeannine Meis

2nd Place

Ava McKown, Lucy Kerwin

Innovation or Disadvantage?: Nazi Medical Experiments

Leon High School (Leon)

Teacher: Jeannine Meis

3rd Place

Taylor Register, Miles Lucas

Hawai‘i to Hawaii: The Debate and Diplomacy Behind America’s 50th State

Shorecrest (Pinellas)

Teacher: Ron Heller

 

Junior Individual Website

1st Place

Ayden Khalil

The Journey Where We Cried: The Debate, Diplomacy, and Destruction of the Indian Removal Act

Dunedin Highland Middle School (Pinellas)

Teacher: Teresa Bergstrom

2nd Place

Elizabeth Rant

When the World Stood at the Golden Door: How Racial Debate Led to Diplomatic Disaster

Fort Clark Middle School (Alachua)

Teacher: Jacob Van Wagner

3rd Place

James Treick

Debating the Legitimacy of the Vietnam War: The Media Responds

East Hill Christian School (Escambia)

Teacher: Phillip Emond

 

Junior Group Website

1st Place

Nishi Annapureddy, Aileen Bae

Tinker vs Des Moines: A Debate Surrounding Student Rights

Fairview Middle School (Leon)

Teacher: Cameron Thompson

2nd Place

Dhanesh Rajpurkar, Samuel Sapatla, Shreyas Pendem

How Ping Pong Diplomacy Strengthened U.S. – China Relationships

James Weldon Johnson College Preparatory Middle School (Duval)

Teacher: Amanda Swearingen

 

3rd Place

Johari Matondo, Catherine Pulido, Sonel Pothen, Valori Rivera

The Imperative Purchase of 1803: Debate and Diplomacy of the Louisiana Purchase

Williams Middle Magnet School (Hillsborough)

Teacher: Monica Dutzar

 

Senior Individual Website

1st Place

Austin Douglas

The Jazz Ambassadors: Spreading Jazz Diplomacy and Countering the Soviet Union’s Propaganda Through Music

J.R. Arnold High School (Bay)

Teacher: Ryan Ziem

2nd Place

Pearl Amromin

The Guardian of the Glades : Marjory Stoneman Douglas and her fight to preserve the Everglades

Rutherford High School (Bay)

Teacher: Courtney Powell

3rd Place

Joyce Maniquis

The May Fourth Movement

The King’s Academy (Palm Beach)

Teacher: Brittany Gay

 

Senior Group Website

1st Place

Dylan Winer, Matthew White, Jacob Mandell

Resolving the Suez Crisis: Successful Debate and Diplomacy in the Cold War

Shorecrest (Duval)

Teacher: Ron Heller

2nd Place

Avery Fronrath, Victoria Backherms

The Zimmerman Telegram

The King’s Academy (Palm Beach)

Teacher: Brittany Gay

3rd Place

Siena de la Torre, Carmen Shuler

Japanese Internment: When Fear Failed Freedom

Rutherford High School (Bay)

Teacher: Courtney Powell

 

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Sponsored by the Museum of Florida History, Florida History Day (FHD) is an annual, statewide activity that enhances the teaching and learning of history at middle and high school.  Florida joins 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and international schools in East and South Asia as an affiliate of National History Day® (NHD). NHD promotes history in the classroom by offering students the resources and support to do original research about people, ideas, and events of the past. The curriculum supports the project-based learning approach.