Students at Carmen Arace Intermediate and Middle School participated in the 2025 Connecticut History Day Regional contest on March 29 at the University of Connecticut. The Connecticut History Day contest is for students in grades 6-12, encouraging the exploration of local, state, national, and world history. After selecting a historical topic related to an annual theme, students conduct extensive research using libraries, archives, museums, and oral history interviews. The theme of this year’s contest was Rights and Responsibilities. Other districts that competed in the Regional Contest included Windsor, Ellington, Manchester, South Windsor, Vernon, Windham Tech High School, Woodstock, and Enfield.
Bloomfield students participating in the CT History Day Regional Competition are part of the district’s Talented and Gifted Program. The program, known as SOAR (which stands for Strive, Optimize, Analyze, and Research), was created in Spring 2022 as part of the Portrait of a Graduate initiative.
Bloomfield was represented by the following students at the regional contest:
● Keira Golding & Taryn Hartley (Grade 6 at CAIS) had an exhibit that demonstrated the racial disparities between Sickle Cell Anemia vs Cystic Fibrosis
● Madison Bell, Micah Mohammed, and Cheyanne Raymond (Grade 6 at CAIS) produced a documentary about The Devastation of Pearl Harbor and the Impact it had on Japanese Americans
● Tressanne Stanberry & Layan Yaye (Grade 6 at CAIS) had an exhibit highlighting The Impact of the Declaration of Independence
● Aashiya Mendez, Gineiris Colon, Ashawana Weir, and Dakota Williams (Grade 7 at CAMS) presented an exhibit entitled Smoking Mirrors: How the Tobacco Industry Targets Vulnerable Groups for Profit
● Javen Gambel and Lenny Reyes (Grade 7 at CAMS) shared an exhibit investigating The Union Army's Duty: Upholding Freedom Through the Emancipation Proclamation
“The National History Day contest provides a challenge far above and beyond what most students will encounter at this age level. I am so proud of these students for stepping up to this immense undertaking,” stated Mrs. Jeanne Pascon, a Teacher of the Talented and Gifted Program. “Their dedication and perseverance was evident throughout all the phases of this large-scale research process!”
“Our students have dedicated countless hours to complete their projects for the History Day competition,” said Carmen Arace Intermediate School Principal, Diana Bunting. “I had the privilege of speaking with them the day before the event, and was impressed by how passionately and articulately they spoke about their topics. Their enthusiasm is a testament to the value of learning experiences that foster creative and critical thinking skills. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and achievements!”
Congratulations goes out to our two groups that are moving onto the state finals on May 3 at Central Connecticut State University: Tressanne Stanberry and Layan Yaye who earned third place, as well as to Javen Gamble and Lenny Reyes who earned the First Place Blue Ribbon with their exhibits.
“I appreciate the commitment and consistency demonstrated by our students. They made History Day a priority, while still managing other very important obligations,” said Ms. Juanita Richardson, one of the SOAR teachers. “I am happy to know that this rigorous experience has helped them hone in on some very important 21st century skills, such as collaboration, creative problem solving, and effective communication.”
“Our students' participation in this competition aligns with our Portrait of a Graduate efforts,” said Dr. Trevor Ellis, Principal of Carmen Arace Middle School. “It allows our students to collaborate, communicate, be confident, resolve conflict, think critically, and persevere. We wish our students well in the state final.”
