Kutztown youth win first in History Day projects

Topics included Coal Strike of 1902, The Able Archer 83 NATO Exercises and Reagan’s Cold War Policies

This year was an exciting experience for Kutztown University and the Kutztown School District’s National History Day team.

Kutztown University hosted for the first time ever the National History Day Region 9 competition in March. Region 9 competitors came from Berks, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties.

National History Day is a year long program where students at the middle school

and high school level do in depth research and create projects on historical topics related to a particular theme. This year’s theme was conflict and compromise. The categories that students can create projects include websites, documentaries, performances, exhibits and papers.

This year the Kutztown Area School District had an impressive performance with students competing in a variety of categories including websites, papers, and exhibits on a wide range of topics. Topics included the Pennsylvania Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902, The Able Archer 83 NATO Exercises and Reagan’s Cold War Policies, Federal Project One and the Works Project Administration under FDR, Patsy Mink and Title IX, and Branch Rickey, the man who desegregated Major League Baseball.

Kutztown Area School District senior Samuel Arnold entered the Senior Paper Category and became the first student to represent the Kutztown Area School district in all five of the NHD competition categories.

Dominick Pizzelanti (7th Grade), Isabella Pizzelanti (10th Grade), Matthew Hill (9th Grade), Silas Bealer (9th Grade) Julian Tich (9th Grade), Grayce Berk (10th grade), Logan Boyer (10th Grade), Kaylen Leiby (10th Grade), and Abigail Herrlin (10th grade), all from the Kutztown Area School District, won first place in their categories and will be advancing on to the state level competition.

Kutztown University History Majors, Secondary Education Majors, and History Department faculty all worked in a variety of positions as volunteers and judges to make the event a resounding success.

Pennsylvania National History Day State Coordinator and Region 9 Coordinator Jeff Hawks from the Army Heritage Center in Carlisle, PA was in charge of the event and Dr. Andrew Arnold, chair of the Kutztown University History Department was also involved in organizing and

SUBMITTED PHOTO Pictured at National History Day competition at Kutztown University are Kutztown High School sophomores Logan Boyer, Abigail Herrlin, Kaylen Leiby and Grayce Berk.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Kutztown freshmen Matthew Hill and Julian Tich (not pictured Silas Bealer) won 1st place at National History Day.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Kutztown senior Samuel Arnold entered the Senior Paper Category and became the first student to represent the Kutztown Area School district in all five of the NHD competition categories.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Kutztown 7th grader Dominick Pizzelanti was among those from Kutztown to win 1st place at National History Day.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Kutztown sophomore Isabella Pizzelanti won a 1st place award at the National History Day competition at Kutztown University.