History truly came alive today at San Juan College’s Henderson Fine Arts Center as FMS students participated in the 2026 Northwest New Mexico National History Day Regional Competition.
Students from Farmington High School presented and performed research on Operation Gunnerside, the successful 1943 Norwegian mission that sabotaged the Vemork heavy water plant. This daring operation played a key role in delaying Germany’s efforts to develop an atomic bomb during World War II.
Students from Hermosa Middle School (above) and Mesa View Elementary explored a wide range of historical topics. These included the role of salt throughout the history of the British Empire, as well as the Mexican Revolution. Their projects examined the rule of President Porfirio Díaz, the election of Francisco Madero, and the armed rebellion led by Emiliano Zapata.
Important moments from history continued throughout the halls, with student projects covering women’s sports during World War II, the impact of Jim Crow laws, the events leading to the Boston Massacre, and even the little-known Emu War. Each project reflected careful research, creativity, and a strong understanding of how history shapes the world we live in today.
More than 100 students participated in this event, presenting over 70 projects. This was a wonderful showcase of student learning and dedication. Congratulations to our students and educators for their hard work and commitment to National History Day. A huge thank you to San Juan College for generously hosting this event.
This year’s National History Day theme is “Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History,” and our students did an outstanding job bringing this theme to life through their projects and performances.
Competition Results
The competition showcased an impressive range of student creativity and historical analysis across junior and senior divisions, with entries spanning documentaries, exhibits, performances, websites, and papers. Students explored this year’s theme through diverse perspectives, highlighting revolutions, reactions, and reforms from local, national, and global contexts.
Our schools demonstrated particularly strong performances, with Hermosa Middle School, Heights Middle School, Farmington High School, Mesa View Middle School, Tibbetts Middle School, and Piedra Vista High School all earning multiple placements.
Junior Division Highlights
In the Junior Group Documentary category, Hermosa Middle School earned First Place with “The US Constitution” by Aliana Garcia and Emelia Dale.
The Junior Group Exhibit category saw Hermosa Middle School again take First Place with “The Emu War,” while Mesa View and Tibbetts Middle Schools earned Second and Third Place, respectively. Congratulations to Hermosa students Andres Rodriguez, Hayden Tarter, and Richard Emmertill; Mesa View students Precious Denetsosie and Mateo Martin; and Tibbetts students Sage Liessmann and Annabelle Riley.
For Junior Group Performances, Hermosa Middle School claimed First Place with “The Salt March: How Mahatma Gandhi Led a Nation to Revolution,” highlighting students’ ability to convey complex historical movements through performance. Congratulations to students Sophia Stallings, Charlotte Lytle, and Ireland Raines. Second place went to “The Mexican-American War: The New Mexico Perspective,” by Mesa View Middle School. Congratulations to students Claire Hammond and Aria Archuleta.
In Junior Group Websites, Hermosa Middle School secured First Place with “José Rizal: An Inspiration That Revolutionized a Nation,” showing strong digital storytelling and global historical awareness by students Simon Sypher, Mitchell Clark, and Gordon Hilton.
Across Junior Individual categories, Heights Middle School stood out with multiple First Place awards, including:
“Yellow Dirt: The Hidden Cost of America’s Nuclear Revolution,” a documentary by Addysen Martinez.
“From Rehabilitation to Revolution: Dr. Ludwig Guttmann and the Start of the Paralympics,” an exhibit by Aubree Reinhardt.
“The Right to Race: The Revolution of Female Jockeys,” a performance by Aliya Kimball.
“The Fall of Constantinople,” a paper by James Jackson.
[Click here] to view the full results.
Senior Division Highlights
In the Senior Group Documentary category, Farmington High School earned both First Place (“Where Pages Turned to Ash: Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History”) and Second Place (“From Sovereign to Stifled: An Indigenous Revolution”), underscoring exceptional group collaboration and analysis. Congratulations to Michael Giebitz and Charlotte Wheat, and Nicholas Bradley and Lylah Morris.
Farmington High School also dominated the Senior Group Exhibit and Senior Group Performance categories, with First Place wins for “The 6888th” and “Spies in the Snow That Nobody Knows.” Congratulations to Hannah Yazzie, Alexia Adair, Brailey Trotter, Joseph Olsen, Ethan Wagner, Matthew Jaramillo, Rock Kalcich, and Braxtyn Smith.
In Senior Individual Documentary, Piedra Vista High School earned First Place with “Reel It In: The Battle Between the Hollywood Ten and Political Censorship,” while Farmington High followed closely with Second Place. Congratulations to Elysa Heil and Abigail Baker.
The Senior Individual Exhibit category featured a First Place finish for Farmington High School with “The Domino Effect of the Boston Massacre,” by Catalina Dennington.
The Senior Paper category concluded with Farmington High School earning First Place for “Between Power and Empathy,” by Olivia Silentman.
Finally, the Senior Individual Performance category featured a First Place finish for Piedra Vista High School with “John Deere: Reform and Reaction of the Second Agricultural Revolution,” by Paige Kimball.
[Click here] to view the full results.
We want to extend our sincere thanks to all of the dedicated teachers who guided and supported students throughout this year’s National History Day projects: Brooke Foutz Riley of Hermosa Middle School, Tyson Uselman of Farmington High School, Mildred Bitsui of Tibbetts Middle School, Erica Davis of Mesa View Middle School, Saana Hemingway of Heights Middle School, and Tabatha Lowman of Piedra Vista High School. Your commitment to historical inquiry, research, and student excellence is clearly reflected in the outstanding quality of the projects and performances represented, and your hard work continues to inspire young historians across our schools.