Local students will compete in Washington, D.C., for National History Day contest
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AMMON — Ten students from a local school will head to Washington, D.C., for their hard work in a National History Day competition.
The students are from Ammon Honors Academy, formerly known as Praxium Mastery Academy, and are in Bonneville Joint School District 93.
“Their work ethic is being rewarded; it’s amazing. It’s super exciting! It just kind of showcases what we do here at our program,” said Nancy Jackson, the school principal.
Ammon Honors Academy is an honors-track magnet public school. Beginning in 2026–27, the school will welcome its first 9th-grade class as it expands toward a full 7–12 grade academy. Jackson said they try to develop students’ character, communication, critical thinking and collaboration.
“To be able to see them apply this in something that’s out of the classroom and be able to see them succeed in the things that we’re trying to really work with them on and to be able to represent us in Washington, D.C., it’s just super exciting that they have this opportunity,” Jackson said.
They will compete at the University of Maryland, College Park, from June 14 to June 18. There are awards, including special prizes.
Students around the world discover history through National History Day by creating historical research projects, according to the website. It’s an academic competition. This year’s theme was “Revolution, reaction, reform in history.”
Kids have to choose a topic that fits the theme, research, and select a contest category such as creating a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website.
The Ammon Honors Academy students completed an annotated bibliography and competed at a local level in April at the College of Idaho in Caldwell.
They began their projects in November.
“I made a documentary about the discovery of nuclear fission with my friends Porter and Ryan. We chose the topic because my friend Ryan loves math, and Porter loves mechanics. I like robots and coding,” said Liam Williams, an eighth-grade student at Ammon Honors Academy.
Liam is one of the ten students headed to Washington, D.C. to compete. The documentary was about eight minutes long. His mother said they put a lot of time and effort into the project, both in and out of school.
“They’ve been meeting at each other’s houses two or three times a week, sometimes, and just getting all the audio and images together can be tricky. Then all the research they did was really incredible, so super proud of them,” Mackenna Williams, Liam’s mom, said.
Liam told EastIdahoNews.com he is both nervous and excited for the trip. Many people will be competing from different states. He’s never been to the Washington, D.C. area.
“I’ve never been anywhere farther than Nauvoo, Illinois, and I’ve never ridden a plane before,” he said.
Liam said he was grateful for the help and support from teachers, including Karlee Fielding, who teaches eighth-grade history at Ammon Honors Academy and is the National History Day advisor.
“To see the students work their way up, and now we’re headed to the national contest, it’s been really amazing. It helps them develop not just academic skills, but their public speaking and confidence,” said Fielding.
She said there will be thousands of students coming. According to the National History Day website, “they come from all fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Department of Defense Schools in the Atlantic, and international schools in China, Korea, and elsewhere.”
“They will get to be interviewed, present their projects, and see other students’ projects. They’ll meet lots of new people,” Fielding said.
The students will have the chance to visit historical sites and museums while they are there.
“So it’s not just a competition. It’s really an experience for these students,” Fielding added.
The students from Ammon Honors Academy who will participate in the national contest are:
- Daphne Funk
- Penelope Trost
- Stirling Woods
- Eli Merrill
- Porter Richards
- Liam Williams
- Ryan Patton
- Shea Spear
- Nick Skinner
- Myla Staggie
Rocky Mountain Middle School in D93 has one student participating named Amelia Cook.
According to Maggie Fullerton, the National History Day in Idaho coordinator, there are also three students from Mountain View Middle School in Blackfoot and two from Madison Junior High School in Rexburg competing.
