Proclaiming his performance “is the equivalent of winning a state championship,” St. Joseph Upton Middle School Principal Chad Mandarino is singing the praises of middle-schooler Braden Miesse who will represent his school, his community, and the entire state next month in the National History Day national finals. 
Miesse has emerged from the statewide competition across Michigan as one of only two Michigan students who will represent the Great Lakes State in the Junior Performance Division of National History Day in June. You can see his presentation and performance by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5EDzbX-5bM
The National Contest is the final stage of a series of contests at local and state/affiliate levels. Students begin their journey by presenting their projects in classrooms, schools, and districts around the world. Top entries are invited to the state/affiliate level contests. The top two entries in every category at the state/affiliate level are then invited to the National Contest. The 2020 National Contest will be held virtually in June 2020.
St. Joseph students winning the Special Award for Use of Family History are Maren Barfus and Ginny Weykamp’s Junior Group Exhibit. Maren and Ginny were also recipients of a District 6 Special Award for their exhibit at the district competition back in early March.
Other students who went to National History Day State competition this year were Jackson Galsterer and Aaron Teng (for group website), Samantha Zelenock-Grove and Zoe Jiang (for group website), and Rachel Cox (for individual exhibit).
Each year nearly 3,000 students with their families and teachers gather at the University of Maryland, in College Park for the week-long observance of National History Day. The enthusiastic groups come from all fifty United States, Washington, D.C., Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and international schools in China, Korea, and South Asia. The excitement can typically be felt across the campus. After spending months on project research and preparation, and competing at local and affiliate contests, the students are eager to show their hard work at the National Contest. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, performances this year will be restricted to virtual presentations, but the honor is still deeply impressive.
