WALDORF, Md. — Charles County Public Schools wrapped up its 10th annual History, Industry, Technology and Science Expo on March 21 with dozens of middle and high school students earning top honors for their History Day Fair projects.
The event showcased student work in history through research papers, documentaries, performances, websites and exhibits focused on historical figures, events and movements. Middle and high school participants submitted projects that developed research, writing, presentation and critical thinking skills. The expo also featured science fair projects but the History Day Fair results released by the district highlighted strong performances across Charles County schools including Piccowaxen Middle School, Mattawoman Middle School, Milton M. Somers Middle School, John Hanson Middle School, Matthew Henson Middle School, Theodore G. Davis Middle School, North Point High School, Henry E. Lackey High School, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School and St. Mary’s School in Bryantown.
In the junior historical paper category Carmen Terlecki, a sixth grader from Piccowaxen Middle School, took first place for “General Smallwood’s Reaction to British Troops.” Elsie Bowling, a seventh grader from Piccowaxen, placed second for “The Clean Air Act.”
Nova Olysse and Maliha Randolph, both sixth graders from John Hanson Middle School, earned first place in the junior group performance category for “The Keating-Owens Child Labor Act.”
Samantha Morrison from St. Mary’s School in Bryantown won first place in the junior individual documentary category for “Locked Down: Life During Covid-19.” Isabelle Ridgeway, also from St. Mary’s School, placed second for “The Discovery Penicillin.”
Micah Johnson and Michael Johnson, both sixth graders from Milton M. Somers Middle School, captured first place in the junior group documentary category for “The French Revolution.” Chrisostom Mendoza and Ananeya Shewakena, both seventh graders from Mattawoman Middle School, took second for “The Meiji Restoration.”
James Vergne, a sixth grader from Mattawoman Middle School, won first place in the junior individual website category for “WWI Harlem Hellfighters.” Luna Yimam, a seventh grader from Mattawoman, placed second for “Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.”
Aiden Williams and Justin Henry, both seventh graders from Matthew Henson Middle School, earned first place in the junior group website category for “Beyond the Law: Jim Crow Etiquette and Social Rules.” Catherine Massaquoi and Rayla Rhen Venadas, both seventh graders from Mattawoman Middle School, took second for “The Philippine Revolution.”
Almaz Mekias and Saka Rehman, both sophomores from North Point High School, won first place in the senior group website category for “Beauty or Brutality? The Movement to End Foot Binding.” Yan Ko, a junior, Aluko Koffi, a senior, Alexis Malone, a junior, and Steven Miranda, a junior, all from North Point High School, placed second for “The Impact of Earth Day (1970).”
John Mateo, a sixth grader from Mattawoman Middle School, took first place in the junior individual exhibit category for “George Washington’s Ring of Spies.” Tanner Green from St. Mary’s School placed second for “The Atomic Age and How We Learned to Live with It.”
Zuri Matthews, a sophomore from Henry E. Lackey High School, won first place in the senior individual exhibit category for “Louis Armstrong.”
Ashlynne Bench and Madison Dunn, both seventh graders from Milton M. Somers Middle School, earned first place in the junior group exhibit category for “Anne Frank.” Kamila Benites, Kamille Bulls, Soriyah Valmond, Hannah Roberts and Autumn Daniel, all seventh graders from Theodore G. Davis Middle School, placed second for “The White Rose.”
Students also received special awards from local organizations. Fatima Khan, a sixth grader from Theodore G. Davis Middle School, earned the Accokeek Foundation award for “Desegregation of Charles County Public Schools.” Christian Burrell-Bazil, a sixth grader from John Hanson Middle School, received the African American Heritage Society award for “Little Rock Nine: Standing Up Against School Segregation.” Zhaleh Buster, a sixth grader from Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, also earned an African American Heritage Society award for “U.S. Mexican American War: Role of Slavery 1846-1848.”
Amina Ziden, a sixth grader from Matthew Henson Middle School, received the Charles County Archaeological Society of Maryland award for “Maryland Women’s Suffrage Movement.” Siena Kirby, a sixth grader from Theodore G. Davis Middle School, earned the Ella Virginia Houck Holloway Chapter, U.S. Daughters of 1812 award for “The Seneca Falls Convention.”
Carmen Terlecki from Piccowaxen Middle School received the Historical Society of Charles County award for her first-place paper. Michael Keener, a sixth grader from Piccowaxen Middle School, also earned a Historical Society of Charles County award for “Battle of Gettysburg.” Hadley Hammonds, a sixth grader from Piccowaxen Middle School, received the Ivy & Pearls of Southern Maryland Community Charities award for “But Ameila Did.” Almaz Mekias and Saka Rehman from North Point High School earned the same community charities award for their first-place project.
Kennedy Brooks, a seventh grader from Mattawoman Middle School, received the MD Alpha Beta Chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa award for “The Scientific Revolution: The Galileo Trial.” Clara Downs, a sixth grader from John Hanson Middle School, earned the Port Tobacco Chapter National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution award for “Five Shots, One Revolution: The Story Behind the Boston Massacre.”
Jonathan Brown, a sixth grader from Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, received the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., Eta Omicron Sigman Chapter award for “Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.” Luna Yimam from Mattawoman Middle School also earned the same sorority award for her project. Eliakim Louis Quirante, a seventh grader from Theodore G. Davis Middle School, received the Thomas Stone Chapter — Sons of the American Revolution award for “Salutary Neglect.”
Isaac Vazquez, a sixth grader from Milton M. Somers Middle School, earned the Patuxent River Naval Museum award for “The Public’s View of Military Before, During and After the Vietnam War.” Parker Lockhert-Jilek from St. Mary’s School received the same museum award for “The Creation of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.”
The HITS Expo continues to serve as a major annual showcase for Charles County Public Schools, giving students a platform to present projects that connect classroom learning with real historical events. Many winning projects explored topics with strong ties to Maryland and Southern Maryland history including local Revolutionary War figures, civil rights milestones and environmental policy. The variety of project formats allowed students to demonstrate creativity while meeting rigorous research standards. The event builds on the district’s commitment to hands-on learning in history and science.