HTA steps into National History Day competition

Our Waipahu and Kaua‘i campuses stepped into the National History Day competition this year, with 11 students successfully advancing to the state level, where they represented HTA with excellence. 

“Out of nine Waipahu projects and one Kaua‘i project, six advanced to the final round of the state event, which is an outstanding accomplishment,” says Waipahu social studies teacher Amy Boehning. “Only the top two projects in each category advance to nationals; HTA earned two impressive third-place finishes — we were so close.”

HTA projects also earned three honorable mentions, and three special prizes with cash awards.

National History Day is a national academic program where students explore historical topics through research and interpretation. Students can present their work in various formats, including essays, exhibits, websites, documentaries, and performances.

Given that this was HTA’s first foray into the competition, Boehning says she’s incredibly proud at how the HTA team dove in against experienced NHD students and schools that have long dominated the competition in Hawai‘i. 

Congratulations to all our our students who put in the hours and hours (and hours!) of work. And to Ms. Boehning and Kaua‘i’s Ms. Denton for leading the way. 

And NHD 2026 — here we come 🙂