Students Take 3rd at National History Competition

Seven projects created by 11 University School of Milwaukee students were selected as national finalists for the National History Day competition, which was held virtually from June 12 to 16. The website created by Delia Narrai ’26 and Liesel Kocourek ’26, titled Mendez v. Westminster – Unspoken But Not Unheard, took 3rd place in the nation. In addition, the website created by Nina Goldberg ’26, The Sabin Polio Vaccine: Advancement Between Adversaries, was in the top 10 of all individual websites. “It’s an amazing accomplishment to be honored when you compete against the best of the best from all over the country,” said Chuck Taft, 8th grade American studies history teacher and Middle School Social Studies department chair.

In addition, students Carson Tauscher ’26 and Veer Gokhale ’26 had their project about fair housing in Milwaukee displayed at a Smithsonian museum. They were also interviewed by a reporter from Wisconsin Public Radio about their project and it being selected to appear in public.

Congratulations to all of the students who sent projects to the national competition:

Atieno Rodriguez ’26: Giving Madness A Face (Junior Individual Exhibit)
Andy Werner ’26 and Nikhil Lazzaro ’26: The Failure in Kyoto (Junior Group Exhibit)
Carson Tauscher ’26 and Veer Gokhale ’26: Fair Housing in Milwaukee: Progression and Regression (Junior Group Documentary)
Benjamin Naples ’26: The Protocol That Changed Chemical Warfare: The 1925 Geneva Protocol (Junior Individual Paper)
Nina Goldberg ’26: The Sabin Polio Vaccine: Advancement Between Adversaries (Junior Individual Website)
Aurelia Dawson ’26 and Kaitlyn Paullin ’26: Our Best Soldiers (Junior Group Website) 
Delia Narrai ’26 and Liesel Kocourek ’26: Mendez v. Westminster Unspoken But Not Unheard (Junior Group Website)

Learn more about the other National History Day projects completed by USM students.