The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum hosted the Natchitoches Regional National History Day contest on Feb. 28. Students from St. Mary’s Catholic School and the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts in Natchitoches and the Bolton Academy in Alexandria along with several homeschool students submitted projects in the website, documentary, paper, performance and exhibit categories.
Every year National History Day® chooses an historical theme with broad applications to world, national, or state history and its relevance to ancient history or to the more recent past. The 2025 theme is “Rights and Responsibilities in History.” Louisiana History Day is an annual competition that encourages students in grades 6-12 to explore local, state, national, or world history by investigating and presenting on a topic of their choice. Students work either individually or in groups to create a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website.
The top four entries in each category at the regional level are invited to the National History Day State contest in New Orleans at the National WWII Museum on April 12. The National WWII Museum is the official History Day affiliate for Louisiana. The top two in each category from the state contest then move on to the national competition held on the campus of the University of Maryland near Washington, DC on June 8-12.
Below are the winners from the Natchitoches regional NHD contest who will move on to the State contest in New Orleans.
Senior Group Exhibit
St. Mary’s Catholic School, Natchitoches
1st place- “The 13th Amendment,” students Chalin Gandy, Haiden Nelson, and Aj Lavespere
2nd place- “Triangle Shirtwaist Factory,” students Atlas Hicks and Ava Hebert
3rd place- “Debs VS The United States,” students Jillian Coleman, Lainey Bennett, and Tyonnah Burton
4th place- “First Women’s Rights Convention,” students Ella Jones, Skylar Bolton, and William Poston
Junior Paper
Homeschool Students
1st place- “The Vietnam War: Life of an American Soldier,” student Landry Knotts
2nd place- “How Gun Ownership and Rights Have Evolved Over the Years,” student Brady Smith
3rd place- “The Rights and Responsibilities of a Soldier in Vietnam,” student Jude Sharbono
4th place- “The Hardship of Being a Soldier in the Vietnam War,” student Elijah Stewart
Senior Individual Exhibit
St. Mary’s Catholic School, Natchitoches
1st place- “Rights and Responsibilities: The Berlin Wall,” student Audrey Matt
2nd place- “Rights and Responsibilities: The Waco Siege,” student Nickolas Wright
Junior Individual Exhibit
Bolton Academy, Alexandria
1st Place- “America’s Rights and Responsibilities in Response to the Holocaust,” student Isabella Croom
2nd Place- “Ladies, its time for a change!,” student Madeline Domingo
Senior Individual Performance
Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, Natchitoches
1st Place- “Live from Operation Desert Storm: Rights and Responsibilities of the Media and Journalists in the Gulf War,” student Sophie Hauptman
Junior Group Documentary
Bolton Academy, Alexandria
1st Place- “The American Revolution: The Unjust Treatment of the Colonists,” students Danny Pena and Parker Gilmore
Senior Group Documentary
Bolton Academy, Alexandria
1st Place- “The Ethics of Animal Experimentation in Psychology,” students James Atwood, Josephine Michiels, Gabriel McCue-Gordon, William Seeling, and Ty’Renn Dixson
Senior Group Website
Bolton Academy, Alexandria
1st Place- “The Responsibilities of Prisons and the Rights Prisoners Deserve,” students Sarah Arnold, Roye’l Roberts, Amya Williams, and Skilyr Scroogs
Judges: 2025
Dr. Kent Peacock, Assistant Professor of History Director, Creole Heritage Center, NSU
Leah Dunn, Witman Executive Director Melrose Plantation
Ralph Wilson, Educator and Community Volunteer
Dr. Greg Granger, Professor of History, NSU
Meghan Schill, Education Technician, Cane River Creole National Historical Park
Olivia Holloway, NSU senior majoring in Sports and Recreation Management and LA Sports Hall of Fame Foundation Intern
Logan Schlatre, Grant Program Manager, Cane River National Heritage Area
Andrew Ferrell, Assistant Deputy Associate Director for Science Technology Training and Deputy Director of National Center for Preservation Technology & Training (NCPTT)
Natchitoches Regional Coordinator
Jennae Biddiscombe, Branch Director, LA Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest LA History Museum
The National WWII Museum NHD Coordinator
Anna Keneda, Student Programs Specialist, The National WWII Museum