HOPKINSVILLE, KY – A Christian County Middle School Gifted and Talented Student has achieved national recognition for historical scholarship at the 2026 National History Day (NHD) National Contest, held from June 14-18 at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Aria King, an eighth-grade student at Christian County Middle School, was awarded the Outstanding Junior Affiliate Award for Kentucky. This highly selective honor is presented to only one junior division (grades six to eighth) project from each state or affiliate program, designating it as the top-performing entry representing that region at the national level.
Aria advanced to the national contest after succeeding at both regional and state-level competitions earlier this spring. At the National Contest, she competed against top student historians from all 50 states, U.S. territories, and international schools.
Aria’s award-winning project, titled “The Black Panthers: Fearless Freedom Fighters,” competed in the Junior Individual Exhibit category. The project aligned with the 2026 NHD theme, “Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History.”
“We are incredibly proud of Aria’s dedication, rigorous research, and historical creativity,” said Dan Przybylski, Gifted and Talented Enrichment Specialist. “After every level of competition, Aria continued to use feedback from the judges to improve her exhibit. To be named the top junior competitor for the entire state of Kentucky at the national level is an extraordinary feat that reflects months of hard work and academic excellence.”
National History Day is a non-profit organization that seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. The annual contest challenges more than half a million students worldwide to conduct intensive primary and secondary research on a historical topic of their choice and present their findings through documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances, or websites.
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