Rights and Responsibilities

Maclay Students Shine at the Leon County History Fair

Photo courtesy of Melody Yu/Maclay Andalusian

The past was brought to the present on Friday, Feb. 28 as students from across Leon County competed in the annual Leon County History Fair, sponsored by National History Day. Maclay School had a strong presence at the competition, with students showcasing a total of 11 projects across the exhibit and documentary categories. This year’s theme, “Rights and Responsibilities,” challenged students to explore historical moments that shaped societies around the world, and Maclay’s participants eagerly rose to the challenge.

Each year, the National History Day competition provides students with the opportunity to engage in in-depth historical research and present their findings by competing in various formats, including exhibits, papers, documentaries, websites and performances. Students can participate either individually or in groups, and the competition is divided into the Junior Division and Senior Division. The 2025 theme allowed students to research topics that balanced both freedoms and obligations throughout history.

Maclay performed exceptionally well in the exhibit category. In the Junior Division Group Exhibit category, eighth graders Kai Carrasco and Krish Patel won second place with their project, “The Nuremberg Trials: The Foundation of Modern Human Rights.” Trisha Patel and Emeri Wisotsky won third place with their project, “Buck v. Bell: A Case of Morons and Idiots.” Furthermore, in the Junior Division Individual Exhibit category, Nathaniel Takacs won first place with his project, “Clone Wars: Testing Ethical Boundaries and Genetic Rights,” and Sophie Yu won third place with her project, “The Right to a Nontoxic Environment and the Responsibility to Protect Natural Resources: The Exxon Valdez Disaster and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.” Lastly, in the Senior Division Group Exhibit category, sophomores Melody Yu and William Beaty won first place with their project, “The Right to Breathe and the Responsibility to Protect Public Health: The Role of Flight Attendants in the Fight for Smoke-Free Skies.”

“My favorite part about doing my project was the research,” Takacs said. “I loved the experience of learning so much more about [my topic,] cloning and also being able to tell other people the story that you find interesting.”

The Junior Division Individual Documentary category also saw strong representation from Maclay students. Eighth grader Medha Konda won first place with her project, “The Rise of Monsanto: How One Agrochemical Company Took Advantage of Farmers By Using Genetically Modified Seeds,” and Bleakley Shettle placed second with her project, “Rights and Responsibilities Reexamined; the Legacy of Roe v. Wade.”

“Getting to see glimpses of projects from other schools, hearing my peers get excited about various topics and seeing the many different ways in which we can connect rights and responsibilities were some of the most interesting aspects of the competition for me,” Konda said. “There were many talented people who created worthy projects for the competition, which made it quite surprising to hear that the judges chose mine, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.”

With Maclay’s outstanding performance, the first and second place winners will advance to the state-level competition on May 5, where they will compete against the top students from each county across Florida.

“Maclay had a strong showing at the Leon County District History Fair this year,” Maclay’s National History Day sponsor David Combs said. “I am very proud of all the students who completed a NHD project this year.”