Months of preparation and research were presented on Saturday, March 1, when students from across the region competed at the Cleveland History Center at the National History Day regional competition.
Beachwood had two participating teams, both of which qualified for the state tournament in the category of performance. One team consisted of senior Radha Pareek, and juniors Mirica Woodley and Sasha Kheyfets, which placed first. Another team, which placed third, consisted of seniors Elizabeth Liu and Shreya Chellu, and junior Lyndia Zheng.
Both teams will advance to the state competition at Capitol University in Columbus on April 26.
“While we definitely faced some time restraints, I’m really proud of how we performed day of, and I’m really excited about what we can accomplish before states,” Zheng said.
Each year, the National History Day organization announces a theme, and students must select a historical event or figure that aligns with it. Participants are challenged to explore historical topics through categories including performances, documentaries, essays and exhibits.
This year’s theme, Rights and Responsibilities, prompted Beachwood students to dive into the conflict between government actions and individual freedom.
NHD encourages students to explore deep questions like Who decides who has rights? How are such decisions justified?
Pareek’s group participated in the performance category, focusing on Ramparts Magazine and its 1960s exposé of the CIA’s infiltration of the National Student Association (NSA).
Their performance depicted how the CIA secretly funded and influenced student leaders attending diplomatic conferences abroad in an attempt to counter communist ideology during the Cold War.
“The research process was intense, but it was rewarding to uncover new perspectives on my topic and bring history to life,” Woodley said.
Zheng’s group, also competing in the performance category, focused on Elizabeth Loftus. They were drawn to her interdisciplinary background, which connected psychology and research with the legal field.
“Her story stood out to us as a compelling example of how different disciplines can come together to shape our understanding of memory and justice,” Zheng said.
For both groups, the journey to the regional competition was not easy.
“We put in a lot of work,” Woodley said. “We had to reach out to a lot of contacts, read primary and secondary sources, and even build a full set for our performance.”
Students spent months researching, refining their work, and presenting their projects at the regional level.
Woodley and Zheng encourage future participants to choose a topic they are passionate about and to fully commit to the research and performance aspects.
“Procrastination is not an option with this kind of project,” Woodley said. “The night before regionals, we were still at Sasha’s house, making final adjustments. The next morning, we were up at 5 a.m., running through everything again.”
Both teams are now focused on refining their performance with feedback from judges.
If they succeed at states, they will move on to the national competition, where they will compete against students from across the country.
