Hewlett-Woodmere students advance to national contest

Cooperstown is home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and is considered the historical beginning place for the national pastime, so five Hewlett-Woodmere School District students made themselves feel right at home in the upstate community at the New York State History Fair on April 23, and qualified for the national competition.

Woodmere Middle Students Madison Honig and Madeline Heyman, both eighth-graders, and sixth-graders, Sydney Honig and Michael Heyman, collaborated on the winning project in the junior group performance category — “Tinker v Des Moines. Black Armbands: A Symbol of Protected Free Speech for Students.” And yes, they are two sets of siblings. Teacher Vincent Lospinuso advised the students.

Hewlett High School freshman Gabby Nakkab placed second for senior individual exhibit — “Peace by Piece: Resolving Conflict Through Compromise in Northern Ireland.” Christine Abajia is Nakkab’s teacher.

All the students competed in history competitions in their schools, regionally Long Island and then the state contest. The national competition is on the campus of the University Maryland in College Park June 10 to 14.

It is sponsored by the nonprofit organization National History Day founded in 1974. The group offers academic programs that engage more than 500,000 middle school and high-school students across the world annually in conducting original research on historical topics of interest.