By Chris Noel, courtesy of Kent News
National History Day is an academic competition where enthusiastic history students compete to offer the most thorough and engaging history-oriented demonstration in the form of a documentary, paper, exhibit, performance, or website. This educational program is altering the way history is taught and learned. It is NHD’s goal to improve the quality of education and help students improve their critical thinking, research skills, written communication, and involvement in the academic community. According to the National History Day website, more than half a million students enter the competition per year. Each year the officials at NHD choose a theme that competitors must tie into their work; this year’s theme was “Individuals in History.”
5th former Ha Young Chung made Kent School history this year when she placed in the competition, winning first place in the regional competition. Ha Young entered the senior individual exhibit division and constructed a display on Syngman Rhee, who was the first President of the Republic of Korea. Ha Young “interpreted Syngman Rhee's legacy as founding the country based on Democracy” and bringing “prosperity to South Korea [a] very apparent contrast to the prosperity level in North Korea.” Syngman Rhee is recognized for leading South Korea against the Soviet forces during the Korean War, and Ha Young argued that this proved to be “a good decision.”
Chung decided to choose Syngman Rhee after learning about him in US History at Kent. After a family friend suggested she enter the competition, Ha Young Chung completed her project in just a week over Spring Break. She used more than a dozen secondary and primary sources to understand the complexity of her topic and enhance her subject as much as possible. Chung says she started the project as an obligation, but it soon became “something I really wanted to know more about.” She recommends doing “as much research as possible” to anyone interested in entering History Day.
Chung’s dedication and completion the National History Day competition demonstrates the sort of self-motivation essential to a successful student here at Kent.
