Riley Choi '28
Apr 18, 2025
The National History Day Club, newly established this year under the leadership of Jolie Zhu ’26 and Lisa Wei ’26, has achieved a major milestone: multiple projects from the club have advanced to the state-level competition. The History Department and faculty adviser Allison Stephens supported and guided the club’s students, who are now preparing to compete against some of the strongest history projects in Pennsylvania.
“I’m really proud,” said Zhu. “For most of them, it’s their first time competing in the competition. It’s been rewarding to see how their projects developed.”
The club’s success includes several standout projects. Susanna Huang ’27 created an individual exhibit on the Barnes Foundation and the legal battle over its relocation. “I’ve always loved art history. Visiting the Barnes Foundation over Thanksgiving inspired me,” said Huang. “Because of that, I think my favourite part of the process was researching my topic since it is something that I’m genuinely interested in.”
William Shen ’27 and Preston Zhang ’27 created a website exploring conscientious objectors in war. “It’s a topic that really interested me,” said Shen. “In the fall, I did a project exploring the rejection of warfare by Christian groups in my religion class, and I felt that through this competition I could make a similar endeavour to look into the objection to military service in a broader context.” Zhang added, “I really enjoyed researching the Richmond 16. These men stood up for their beliefs, and their stories weren’t told enough. This project gave me a chance to share them.”
Zhu and Wei started the club after having positive experiences competing last year. “We thought it was a really great opportunity to learn about history and share our research,” said Wei. “We wanted to bring that to the Mercersburg community.”
A dvancing the club was no small task. “At first, we thought we could organize it like a normal club,” said Zhu. “But it turned out that we needed help with things like chaperoning and transportation, which the school didn’t provide for most clubs. That’s when we contacted Ms. Stephens and the History Department for support.” Wei adds, “We ended up getting sponsored by the history department to cover the hotel, the food, and the entry fees. That’s a really great way for students to be able to join this club without worrying about financial and logistical issues.”
As they look ahead to their senior year, Zhu and Wei are already laying the groundwork for the club’s future. “We’re planning to train a junior next year who can take over after we graduate,” Zhu said. “And we’re working on hosting events and bringing in a speaker for a school meeting.”
Their mission is to build a legacy. “We’d love to see more students getting engaged, and thinking creatively about the projects they are submitting,” said Stephens. “I think this year many of the topic submissions are related to what is going on in the world, and so it’s nice to be able to make that connection between that and history.”
Rich Heffron, a history department member, believes deeply in that vision. “As a history teacher, I love and support any club that increases our students’ interest in history and encourages them to engage with the subject,” he said. “Studying and understanding history is central to a person’s understanding of themselves and their place within the world, and the National History Day Club is helping students understand just that.”
For now, the future of the program is in question as federal funding of the program has been cut. The National Council for the Social Studies released a statement, saying, “Canceling this funding sends a damaging message about the value placed on humanities education and the importance of historical understanding in our society. At a time when informed civic engagement is more critical than ever, diminishing support for programs that cultivate historical literacy and critical thinking is a step in the wrong direction.”