Spencer Student Advances to National History Day Competition

When eighth-grader AirMarie Stanley began researching Ohio's role in the abolitionist movement, she never imagined the journey would take her all the way to the national stage.

From June 14-18, AirMarie will represent Cincinnati Public Schools and Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students at the National History Day contest at the University of Maryland after earning second place at the Ohio History Day state competition.

National History Day is similar to a science fair for history. Students spend months researching a topic connected to an annual theme and present their findings through essays, documentaries, performances, websites or exhibits. Students first compete at the regional level, with top finishers advancing to the state competition and, ultimately, the national contest.

This year, 36 Spencer students went to regional competition, with 28 advancing to the state level. Those students represented eight different entries, and three Spencer projects finished among the top entries in Ohio.

AirMarie's project, The Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, explored an abolitionist effort in which hundreds of people came together to rescue a freedom seeker from slavery. The project aligned closely with this year's theme, “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History,” and grew out of her interest in Ohio history and the abolitionist movement.

"I wanted to find a small, local-level revolution," AirMarie said. "It was a slave rescue where people broke a law in order to save a man. That was my argument for the revolution."

As she researched the topic, she uncovered connections she had never fully understood before.

"I learned how much Ohio ties into the abolitionist movement," she said. "I knew we had some connection, but I never realized how major it was until I did this project."

The process also challenged her to examine multiple perspectives and think critically about the historical context surrounding her topic.

"Seeing both sides of the story was interesting," she said. "While I didn't agree with those beliefs, it helped me understand how people thought at the time."

For AirMarie, the path to nationals has been years in the making. After placing third at the state competition as a seventh-grader, she set her sights on qualifying for the national contest.

"Last year was my first time doing National History Day, and I was terrified," she said. "This year I felt more confident, but I was still nervous."

That nervousness followed her to the state competition as she waited for results.

"When they called my name, my mom was so excited," she said. "She screamed a little in my ear."

Her teacher, Mr. Mark Lewis, said her achievement reflects not only academic talent but an extraordinary commitment to learning.

"AirMarie's work exemplifies excellence in its truest form," Lewis said. "She possesses an exceptional work ethic, coupled with a deep intellectual curiosity that drives her to pursue understanding well beyond what is required."

Lewis noted that Air Marie consistently sought feedback and embraced the revision process throughout the project.

"She views critique not as a judgment of her abilities, but as an opportunity for growth and refinement," he said.

Lewis described the remarkable accomplishment of qualifying for the national competition.

"The level of achievement represented by qualifying for the National History Day National Contest cannot be overstated," he said. "To reach this stage requires not only academic talent but also extraordinary perseverance, self-discipline and a sustained commitment to scholarly excellence."

Having mentored National History Day students for more than a decade, Lewis places AirMarie among the most dedicated students he has worked with.

"I can state without hesitation that AirMarie ranks among the three most dedicated and industrious students I have had the privilege to mentor," he said. "Her unwavering commitment to producing work of the highest caliber, combined with her intellectual maturity and intrinsic motivation to learn, distinguishes her from her peers."

For AirMarie, one of the most meaningful lessons from her research was the power of community.

"In my topic, around 600 people came together to help one man," she said. "That shows the importance of seeing people as human and coming together to help others."

Lewis believes that lesson is one of the reasons programs like National History Day are so valuable.

"Students get to choose a topic they care about and really own the learning," he said. "They're conducting the research, asking the questions and making discoveries for themselves."

As AirMarie prepares to travel to Maryland and compete against some of the nation's top student historians, she is focused on making the most of the opportunity.

"I'm really excited," she said. "I'm also a little terrified. I've never really traveled outside Ohio very much."

While AirMarie is the only Spencer student advancing to nationals this year, she is part of a larger group of students whose work earned statewide recognition. The documentary “Sojourner Truth: A Runaway Slave Who Made a Difference” by E'Million Rankins, A'alexys White, Layla Tillett and Nya Mathews, under the guidance of teacher Ben Rall, earned third place in Ohio. Another Spencer documentary, “The Reaction and Reforms to the Death of Emmett Till: The Boy Who the American People Failed to Protect,” created by Peyton Lazar, Soumaya Sacko, Tigerlily Wagner, Yahir Ponce De Leon Campos and Jack Grayson, earned honorable mention.

Together, their accomplishments reflect the strength of Spencer's National History Day program and the passion students bring to exploring the past.

"I'm just really happy for the opportunity to be able to go," AirMarie said. "It's an experience I'll never forget."