Maryland officials honored Avani Durvasula and Farah Hawks from Silver Spring, and Grace Guo and Asher Lyons from Poolesville, at the State House for their achievements in the 2024 National History Day competition.
Poolesville High School teacher Stephanie Gomer was also recognized as Maryland History Day 2024 High School Teacher of the Year. The honored students collaborated on their History Day projects, which showcased research through documentaries, papers, performances, exhibits, or websites.
Maryland History Day – an affiliate of National History Day – is a year-long program from Maryland Humanities where students research a topic and create documentaries, papers, performances, exhibits, or websites.
Per the news release: “Maryland Humanities congratulates all of the middle and high school students recently honored at the Maryland State House in Annapolis for their achievements at the 2024 National History Day competition. On February 24, 2025, students from Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Howard County, and Montgomery County schools received citations from State Senators and Delegates for receiving awards or honors at the national competition.
The National History Day competition involves more than 3,000 students from 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and international schools in China, Korea, and South Asia. Advancers to the National History Day Contest typically have won first or second place at the Maryland History Day State Contest.
The contest serves as a culmination of Maryland Humanities’ Maryland History Day program, an affiliate of National History Day. For Maryland History Day, students create original documentaries, exhibits, performances, research papers, or websites exploring a historical topic of their choice, based on an annual theme. The program sparks critical thinking in students, and helps them develop their skills in research and analysis, writing, and public speaking.
Erin Spahr and Stephanie Gomer, who teach at Urbana Middle School in Frederick and Poolesville High School, respectively, also received recognition at the State House. Maryland Humanities named them the 2024 Maryland History Day Statewide Middle and High School Teachers of the Year.
The 2025 State Contest takes place on May 3 at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. For this year’s theme, National History Day selected “Rights and Responsibilities in History.” The 2025 National History Contest occurs June 9–13 at the University of Maryland, College Park.”