RIVERSIDE – Who determines who has rights and who does not? Who was responsible for shaping the pivotal moments in our nation’s history? More than 400 students from seven districts and multiple private and charter schools in Riverside County will showcase their projects at the 2025 Riverside County National History Day on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at Canyon Springs High School (23100 Cougar Canyon Road, Moreno Valley, CA).
“The annual Riverside County National History Day competition is an excellent way for our students to gain a deeper understanding of how our nation’s past shapes our current and future direction,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez. “By becoming students of history, this next generation of leaders is discovering a greater understanding of their own rights and responsibilities as they shape the future.”
Featuring the theme of “Rights & Responsibilities in History”, the 2025 competition features students in grades 4-5 who will participate in the poster and podcast categories, and junior (grades 6-8) and senior division (grades 9-12) students competing in the following individual and group categories:
- Documentary
- Performance
- Exhibit
- Website
- Podcast
The competition begins at 8 a.m., with public viewing for documentary, website, and podcasts available in the Gymnasium between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Public viewing of exhibits will be available between 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room. The awards ceremony will wrap up the day at 4 p.m. in the Gymnasium. Full details on the National History Day competition are available at https://www.rcoe.us/student-events/history-day.
The top three finishers in each category in the junior and senior division, and the top four finishers in the poster competition for 4th and 5th grade students, will advance to the National History Day-California State Competition to be held May 1-4, 2025, at California State University, Sacramento. Winners at the state level advance to the National History Day Competition, June 8-12, 2025, at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Students from the following Riverside County school districts and private schools are set to participate:
- Alvord USD
- Banning USD
- Corona-Norco USD
- Moreno Valley USD
- Riverside USD
- Romoland SD
- Val Verde USD
- Mission Vista Academy
- St. Jeanne de Lestonnac School
- Springs Charter School
- Sycamore Academy
A selection of entries for 2025 includes:
The Negro Baseball League Comes to Life
Category: Group Performance – Junior Division
Students: Audrey Fonseca, Keyon Geo, and Nicholas Marquez
School: Matthew Gage Middle School
District: Riverside Unified School District
Project Description From Students: The Negro Leagues strongly fit within this year’s theme because Rube Foster gave his Chicago American Giants, one of the most successful black baseball teams of the pre-integration era, the responsibility to take their team seriously and the right to play formally.
The Lights, The Sounds, The Reflection, The Impact: Broadway Has a Powerful Voice
Category: Individual Performance – Senior Division
Student: Mason Gonzales
School: John W. North High School
District: Riverside Unified School District
Project Description From Student: Through the lights, to the sounds, to the story itself, Broadway has a voice and the right to impact, reshape, and change society. With this platform comes power, and with power comes the responsibility of representing all groups and minorities both appropriately and respectfully.
Defining Disability: The Legacy of Sterilization on Disability Rights in the United States
Category: Group Podcast – Senior Division
Students: Caitlin Buensuceso and Brayden Goytia
School: Centennial High School
District: Corona-Norco Unified School District
Project Description From Students: The conflation of disability and deviance from societal norms in the United States has led to the minimization of bodily rights through eugenic practices and sterilization for people with disabilities, and current attitudes reflecting these viewpoints demonstrate a responsibility to protect rights to genetic and bodily autonomy.
The Mexican War of Independence 1810
Category: Individual Poster – Youth/Elementary Division
Student: Gabriel Rodriguez
School: Hemmerling Elementary School
District: Banning Unified School District
Project Description From Student: For the people of Mexico, rights and freedoms were restricted under the Spanish Empire’s rule at the time. They changed their future by revolting. The Mexican Revolution of 1810 has left a legacy where people banded together and challenged existing power structures and inequalities.
Rights vs. Safety: The Gun Control Dilemma
Category: Group Documentary – Senior Division
Students: Daniel Hamel, Miracle Ojelade, Giovani Perez, and Juan Zavala
School: Rancho Verde High School
District: Val Verde Unified School District
Project Description From Students: The Second Amendment has played a central role in American history since its ratification in 1791. It has been the foundation of debates over individual rights, public safety, and government authority. Its significance lies in how it reflects the country’s values of personal liberty and self-defense, but also in the ongoing challenge of how to balance these values with the need to protect the public from violence.
Sound The Alert!: How Amber Hagerman's Death Protected the Rights and Urged the Responsibilities of Hundreds
Category: Group Website – Junior Division
Students: Zara Otti and Sinachi Otti
School: Lincoln Fundamental Elementary School
District: Corona-Norco Unified School District
Project Description From Students: On January 13, 1996, Amber Hagerman was kidnapped while riding her bicycle to her grandmother's house, and her body was discovered four days later. However, her murder was not in vain; it caused the nationwide creation of the AMBER Alert system, which effectively protects the rights of missing children and harnesses the responsibility of the community to collaborate in solving these critical cases.
Women's Suffrage Movement
Category: Group Exhibit – Junior Division
Students: Kartavya Shah, Michael Lim, and Aarush Nathan
School: River Springs Charter
Project Description From Students: The women's suffrage movement was a great turning point in history because, in addition to women, it opened doors for many other Americans to gain the right to vote. While many of the “suffragettes” are given credit for women getting the right to vote, their contributions to other groups, including Native Americans and African Americans, are often overlooked.
