Six eighth-grade students from Hollis Brookline Middle School participated in National History Day 2012, an academic program designed to inspire students to research and explore historical topics in a variety of ways.

A specific theme is assigned, and this year’s topic is Revolution, Reaction and Reform; the use of primary sources is encouraged. More than half a million students participate nationwide.

All six HBMS students competed in the New Hampshire state finalist competition at Plymouth State University on March 31. Two of the three HBMS teams won first place and were invited to compete nationally in Washington, D.C., at the 2012 Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest held June 10-14.

Cassandra Reijgers, Bobby Drouin, Chantal Jennings, Bradley Simpson, Nick Sengstaken and Derek Wider participated in the National History Day – not for a grade, but for the love of history. Students were invited to choose from five categories: Documentary, Exhibit, Paper, Performance or Web Site. HBMS students began work on their projects in January as an after-school club, but many schools in the country included National History Day in their curriculum as a year-long project. All categories involved writing assignments.

Cassandra submitted an exhibit titled “The Double Life of People Who Hid Jews,” describing what it was like for Dutch citizens to hide Jews in Holland during World War II, and how their lives were impacted and transformed.

Cassandra is interested in the Holocaust and initially was unsure which aspect she wanted to focus on. Her parents suggested she speak with her paternal grandmother, whose parents hid Jews in their home in the Dutch city of Utrecht from 1941 until the end of the German occupation in 1945.

Cassandra conducted a video conference interview with her grandmother in France and recorded it as an accompaniment to her exhibit. She created a poster, including facts and figures of life in Holland during the occupation, as well as her grandmother’s description of how her parents sheltered two Jewish families at great risk to themselves.

The first family stayed a only short time before being moved to another location due to concerns from the underground network that Cassandra’s great-
grandmother belonged to. The second family arrived in 1942, and stayed for the remainder of the occupation. Cassandra’s grandmother was 4 years old at the time and still keeps in touch with the second family; she has fond memories of playing with the children.

This National History Day project brought history to life for Cassandra, through a personal connection, by inspiring her to learn about her family’s contribution to the Dutch effort to hide Jews.

Bobby, Chantal and Bradley performed a skit, “Treatment of Tories” about the treatment of New Hampshire Loyalists by the Patriots (those who wanted independence from Britain) during the American Revolution.

“I found it an interesting topic because nobody really ever hears the ‘other side’ of the story,” Bradley said. “Most of the Revolutionary War books we found only talked about the Patriots and what good they did, not the bad.

“I was nervous at first, and especially when I said the wrong line, but I got over it quickly. I was surprised at how easy it was speaking to the judges afterwards.”

“Treatment of Tories” won first place at the state contest in the junior performance group category, and a second award, “Best Junior Project Related to New Hampshire History,” presented by the New Hampshire Council for the Social Studies.

Bradley’s Mother, Lisa Simpson, said, “Bradley joined NHD because it sounded interesting, and he has always liked history, plus he knew his friends were joining. Bradley, Chantal and Bobby all walked away from this competition with a sense of gratification after all of their research and hours of practice; it turned out so well for them in the end. It is an experience they will not forget.”

Nick and Derek produced a 10-minute documentary describing what life was like in the German Democratic Republic before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Nick traveled to Weimar, Germany, to interview Uta Kinzel, Stefan Kinzel and Andreas Beger, as primary sources, about their memories and experiences. In keeping with the National History Day theme topics covered include military presence in the German Democratic Republic, East German opinions of the people in West Germany, the influence of media and propaganda, life as a child in kindergarten, the difference between factory or farm workers and professionals, protests, and reactions to the wall coming down.

The boys planned the trip to Germany during their school winter break so the interviews could be done in person, and so Nick could represent the team in gaining a first-hand understanding of what life was like in the German Democratic Republic.

Nick’s cousin, Katarina Sengstaken, is a former HBMS student now living in Weimar with her fiance Stefan Kinzel, whom Nick interviewed. Sengstaken was Nick’s guide in Germany and provided translations for the project. Research was done at the Olle DDR Museum in Apolda, Germany, the Grenzland Museum Schifflersgrund (also known as the Border Museum) in Bad Sooden-Allendorf, Germany, and the Check Point Charlie Museum and Stasi Museum in Berlin. Nick filmed the opening footage of the documentary at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

“Life in East Germany Before and After the Fall of the Wall” won first place in the junior documentary category, as well as an additional award from The National Archives & Records Administration at Boston for “Outstanding Use of Primary Sources.”

Derek and Nick earned the “Excellence in History” award last year in seventh grade. Stephen Capraro, seventh-grade history teacher at HBMS, is credited with instilling a love of history in Derek and Nick, who have been best friends since kindergarten. When the boys learned Mr. Capraro was offering the opportunity to participate in National History Day this year, they jumped at the chance to work with him again. The students were also excited about meeting and working with Laura DeRosa, an eighth-grade teacher at Hollis Brookline Middle School, who was instrumental in planning and conducting student National History Day meetings.

Nick will represented HBMS in Washington, D.C., on June 10-14 by presenting his team’s documentary at the 2012 Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest. The History Channel webcasted the awards ceremony June 14. Visit www.nhd.org, then click on “Awards Ceremony Webcast.”

– Submitted by
Margie Sengstaken