On Tuesday, February 4, the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach held its third annual History Day Fair as part of the larger National History Day Competition. The National History Day Competition is an event in which more than a half a million students participate each year. The projects examine an event in history and how it relates to a national theme.
For the past five months, under the guidance of their social studies teacher, Ms. Kristen Waterman, the eighth grade students researched various events in history related to this year’s theme: Breaking Barriers. Students examined the breaking of physical barriers including escaping Auschwitz, the destruction of the Berlin Wall, and landing the first man on the moon. They analyzed racial and gender barriers, as well. Once their research was complete, they presented their projects in one of the following ways: documentary, website, or museum exhibit. Each project type allowed students to use real-world skills to present their research, in a fun and exciting way.
The winning documentary was “The Most Dangerous Weapon in the World: The Truth” by Nadav Chelst, Eitan Katz, Ethan Muchnick, and Zachary Rabe.
The winning website was “Breaking Segregation in Higher Education” by Meghan Gottfried, Aliza Hecht, Ayalah Kashani, and Chayala Weiss.
The winning exhibit was “Breaking the Barrier to Affordability: Henry Ford” by Rachel Hirt, Talia Traube, and Keren Schiowitz.
