Carolyn Lipka, a sophomore at High School North, placed second at the National History Day championships at the University of Maryland College Park Campus in the Washington, D.C. The event was webcast on the History Channel website live.##M:[more]##
Lipka, who presented a documentary, “Deaf-Con Two: The Misheard Lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis,” was one of the 12 finalists in the nation. She won the New Jersey State Championship at William Paterson University in May.
Her documentary was the result of a year’s work; she did extensive archival research in manuscript libraries, including the Mudd Manuscript Library at Princeton University. Lipka, who interviewed experts and witnesses to history; included interviews with Sergei Khrushchev, the son of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, as well as Ted Sorensen, former White House counsel and speechwriter for President Kennedy, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and expert on the crisis, Martin Sherwin. Her annotated bibliography for this project was 19 single-spaced pages.
“I am thrilled to receive the honor of such a prestigious award, especially considering the amazing quality of the competition,” says Lipka. “My project was an extensive commitment, not only by myself, but also the wonderful people who gave of their time and expertise, including Doctors Khrushchev and Sherwin, and Mr. Sorensen. I am also grateful to the History Channel for sponsoring the event, and to my competitors, whose work has inspired me to try to improve every year.”
Lipka, who founded the National History Day Club at North, has been president for the past two years. More information about the competition is available at www.nhd.org.
