Niles North students honored in national history contest

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Niles North history students (from left) James Gilbert, Yoni Segev and Warren D'Souza pose in front of a state banner after learning they've earned eighth place at the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest at the University of Maryland in Colle

Updated: October 31, 2011 1:07PM

Three Niles North High School history students scored big by taking eighth place in the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest at the University of Maryland in College Park.

Seniors Warren D’Souza, Yoni Segev and James Gilbert, all 17 years old and from Skokie, were invited to participate in the national competition after their entry was judged best in Illinois in its category at the Illinois State History Expo.

They won the Prize for Constitutional Rights in History from the Bill of Rights Institute for their group website “Turmoil in the City Streets: The Democratic National Convention of 1968.” 

“We first encountered information about the Democratic National Convention during a class trip to the Chicago History Museum last fall. There was an exhibit dedicated just to the history of protests in Chicago and what attracted us immediately - the immature boys we are - was people being beaten in the streets,” D’Souza said.

“We wanted to know what was behind that violence,” he added.

The trio also wanted to know what brought the protestors to the streets, why they were willing to endure or spark violence for their cause, and what they hoped to achieve.

Answering those questions made their project a winner.

“I did not personally expect that we would advance so far. It was miraculous just to advance to the national level. I was just happy being in the presence of all these other history students. And hearing our names called representing Illinois was an absolute shock to us,” D’Souza said.

“History may not influence my career - I’m more of a math guy - but after all the knowledge I gained, it did influence the way I look at Chicago, which I consider my city,” he added.

Sarah Stucky, teacher of the honors level U.S. History class in which the teens were students, said she has accompanied a few students to the National History Competition before, but this was the first time any won an award.

Each year more than half a million students compete, not only from across the country, but also from American Samoa, Guam, International Schools and Department of Defense Schools in Europe.

First they choose an historical topic related to the annual theme, and then conduct primary and secondary research. They use libraries, archives and museums, conduct oral history interviews, and visit historic sites.

Then, they analyze and interpret their sources, drawn a conclusion about the significance of their topics, and present their work as a paper, an exhibit, a performance, a documentary or a web site.

“These three young men worked hard on their project from the get-go. They were very, very self-directed and very, very individually motivated. They really wanted to make the best project they could. And the drive of all three of them together was outstanding,” Stucky said.

“They also hit a topic that resonated with them and once they delved into it, they each felt a personal connection to it. That can be seen in so much of the work they put into the project,” she added.

Most of the students who join Stuckey’s class are not sure how they feel about history or doing a big research project, but as a result of participating and choosing an aspect of history they really like, they realize why some people are so fascinated by it, Stucky said.

“They realize that history is worth knowing. They realize it is worth caring about. And even if it’s not their passion, they come to appreciate it,” she added.