13 Riverside Unified Student Projects Advance to 2026 State History Day Competition

Thirteen Riverside Unified student projects earned top honors at the 2026 Riverside County National History Day competition, advancing to the National History Day-California State (NHD-CA) Finals.

RUSD students were recognized for their outstanding work as they explored pivotal moments that shaped societies across the globe, centered on this year’s theme of “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.” They distinguished themselves from nearly 500 participants who competed in the county event following a full day of judging and presentations on March 14. 

History Day is a yearlong academic program that encourages students in grades 4-12 to conduct in-depth research and present their findings in creative formats. The 2026 theme competition featured students in grades 4-5 who participated in the poster and podcast categories, and junior (grades 6-8) and senior division (grades 9-12) students competing in the following individual and group categories of documentary, performance, exhibit, website, and podcast. 

The top three finishers in each category in the junior and senior division, and the top four finishers in the poster competition for 4th and 5th grade students, advanced to the National History Day-California State Competition to be held May 1-3, 2026, at California State University, Sacramento.

Riverside Unified students from six schools: Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, Amelia Earhart Middle School, Sierra Middle School, Matthew Gage Middle School, Riverside STEM Academy, and Martin Luther King High School qualified for the NHD-CA State Finals.

Elementary Group Poster

Cesar Chavez: Revolutionizing and Protecting Farmworkers
Braxton Backstrom, Nicolas Salazar – Benjamin Franklin Elementary School

Junior Individual Documentary

Echoes of Silence: Remembering Cambodia’s Revolution of Death
Ayesha Ashfaq – Amelia Earhart Middle School

Junior Individual Exhibit

Beyond The California Dream: The Chicano Revolution
Geraldine Annet Solis – Sierra Middle School

Junior Group Exhibit

The Meiji Restoration: Revolution Reform Modernization
Novak Wei, Clay Yin – Amelia Earhart Middle School

Junior Individual Performance

Athena's Ask: The Athenian Revolution
Fara McPhail – Amelia Earhart Middle School

Junior Group Performance

The Black Death: Effects on Humankind
Eleanor Alldredge, Arianna Auman, Jacob Johnston, Desmond Power – Amelia Earhart Middle School

Junior Group Podcast

From Rivalry to Reform: How the American Basketball Association (ABA) Revolutionized the National Basketball Association (NBA)
Anthony Aguilar-Mares, Wyatt Fleming, Nathan Morga – Sierra Middle School

Junior Individual Website

The Destruction That Brought Safety
Swayze Adams – Matthew Gage Middle School

Junior Group Website

The Second Sino-Japanese War: The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
Eric Gu, Jenny Xiao, Jeron Xiao – Riverside STEM Academy

Senior Individual Podcast

The Pentagon Papers: A Revolution in Journalism
Colin Difani – Martin Luther King High School

Senior Individual Website

A Nation Under the Knife: The U.S. Sanitary Commission's Revolution, Reaction, and Reform
Maham Rizvi – Martin Luther King High School

“Only the Brave Dare Eat the Fare”: How Harvey Wiley’s Poison Squad Reformed the American Public’s Opinion on Food Health and Safety
Hannah Palardy – Martin Luther King High School

Senior Group Website

The O Ring That Revolutionized the Space Industry
Fernando Garcia, Lynnette Vu, Zahne Wortman – Martin Luther King High School