Students from Central Louisiana schools earned top honors during the Natchitoches Regional National History Day Contest held Feb. 26 at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum.

Participants from Bolton Academy and Buckeye High School competed alongside students from schools in Natchitoches as part of the annual National History Day program. This year’s theme, “Revolution, Reaction, and Reform,” challenged students to examine turning points in history through research and creative presentations.

Students presented projects in several categories, including documentary, exhibit, paper and performance. The top four entries in each category advance to the Louisiana History Day state competition scheduled for April 11 at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. The top two entries at the state level will then advance to the national competition held June 14–18 at the University of Maryland near Washington, D.C.

Bolton Academy students earned several top finishes at the regional contest. Isabella Croom and Skilyr Scroggs captured first place in the senior group exhibit category with their project on revolutions inspired by reactions to prison reform. Will Crooks placed first in the junior individual exhibit category with a project on the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Kennedy Stewart earned first place in the junior individual performance category with a project titled “Order of the Phoenix.” In the senior group performance category, Deekshita SenthilKumar, Elise Soileau, Lyla Taylor, Abigail Tubbs and Caroline Tubbs captured first place with a presentation on reactions to the Dust Bowl. Another Bolton Academy group consisting of Madyson Brunson and Mia Ellington placed second in the same category with a performance on Alice Paul and Lucy Burns and the Silent Sentinels.

Buckeye High School students also earned recognition. Jyllian Beran, Cody Duncan and Gavin Steimel placed second in the senior group exhibit category with their project exploring the history of Czech immigrants in Louisiana.

The regional contest was coordinated by Dr. Emily Bryant of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum. Judges included educators and historians from organizations such as Northwestern State University and the National Park Service.

Students advancing from the regional contest will present their work at the state competition in April for an opportunity to move on to the national stage.