By JUSTIN REESE – On April 6, five students from IHS participated in the National History Day regional competition at IUP, winning a gold medal and moving onto the state-wide competition held in Carlisle, PA on May 11. The students stayed overnight to compete against students from all across the state. After putting a great deal of effort into their presentation, they unfortunately did not make it to finals.
Sophomores Drew Rado, Jason Kavolchick, Nathan Myers, and Sara Rahkonen submitted a documentary during the National History Day regional competition titled “Railways and Steel: The Conflict of Pittsburgh labor Unions and Their Search for Compromise”. The documentary, which won a gold medal, outlined the conflicts of labor that happened in Pittsburgh during the late 1800’s.
Sophomore Jason Kovalchick, who organized the visuals used in the documentary, stated that “it was a good experience and we learned a lot about Pittsburgh heritage in labor rights. I would recommend it to anyone who is even remotely interested in history.”
Sophomore Drew Rado, the voice of the documentary, expressed “I’m confident in our film and our ability to make it past states. Overall, it has been an amazing experience and a lot of fun.”
The state competition, held in Carlisle High School featured documentaries from across Pennsylvania. The students stayed overnight in a hotel, ate dinner at a sponsored pizza party, and competed against students from across the state.
The students who unfortunately did not proceed to finals still had a great experience and learned a great deal about history. Participating students encourage more IHS students to participate and showcase their skills and history knowledge.
[Photo provided by Jason Kovalchick ]
Photo caption: (From left to right) Nathan Myers, Sara Rahkonen, Drew Rado, Jason Kavolchick, and Mr. Mossgrove showcase their medals and their achievement.