June 25, 2009 - Five entries by Shaker Heights High School finished in the top fifteen in their respective divisions and three Shaker students received special awards at the National History Day finals held June 14-18 at the University of Maryland, College Park.

"This level of success is unmatched by any school in the country," said Tim Mitchell, U.S. History teacher at Shaker.

The following representatives from Shaker Heights High School were honored at the national competition for their interpretations of historical topics:

—Anirudh Jayanti and Ayush Sood, 3rd place, Bronze Medal Winners, Website, Simon Wiesenthal: One Man's Search for Justice.

—Heidi Reis, 6th place, Individual Exhibit, Her Cry for Nature: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the Rise of the Environmental Movement.

—Emily Nosse-Leirer, 8th place, Research Paper, Tomorrow Will Be a Great Struggle.

—Ilana Polster and Michelle Scharfstein, 9th place, Group Exhibit, Kim Phuc: The Pain that Seared America.

—Gabe Gordon and Kayla Pincus, 11th place, Group Documentary, Introducing America to Americans: Roy Stryker and the FSA Photographs.

Students who received special awards are:

—Heidi Reis, Outstanding State Entry prize, Her Cry for Nature: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the Rise of the Environmental Movement.

—Harper Sutherland, $20,000 scholarship to the University of Minnesota. She was part of a Group Performance titled Larger Than Any of Us Alone: A Story of Norwegian Resistance, which she created with her teammate Robin Meiksins.

—Danielle Swales, Outstanding Entry on the History of the Federal Government award for her Individual Documentary titled Harry Hopkins: Social Revolutionary of the Great Depression as Seen Through the WPA.

The students' history teachers were Tim Mitchell and Dann Parker.

A total of twenty-four Shaker students qualified to go to the national finals after capturing thirteen out of Ohio’s sixteen slots for the national competition at the state contest held in April.

National History Day was created in 1974 by David Van Tassel, a professor at Case Western Reserve University. Initially intended as a local competition, it grew to become a national program with about 700,000 participants each year.

Participating students were required to do extensive research and preparation, develop an original thesis and demonstrate their knowledge and conclusions about this year’s theme, "The Individual in History." Their projects vary in format, ranging from formal term papers and exhibits to dramatic performances and documentary videos. Students may work in groups or create individual projects.

For more information, go to www.nationalhistoryday.org.

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