A Traverse City Middle School student was honored as part of the 2016 National History Day contest. Daniela Castillo of Traverse City West Middle School was the Special Award recipient for the Junior Division Latino-American History Award for Junior Paper. Her entry was entitled “Rosario Castellanos: A Journey to Equality Through Self-Expression – An Essay on Exploration, Encounter and Exchange.” Castillo’s teacher was Brett Graham.

Castillo was among the thousands of participants from across the U.S. and several territories who competed in the contest, which took place June 12-16, 2016, in College Park, Md. She was one of seven Michigan students who received special honors at this year’s competition.

“The History Day theme for 2016—Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History—allowed our students to investigate interesting topics and led them to produce very creative projects,” said Andrea Lorion, State Coordinator for Michigan History Day (National History Day in Michigan). “We are proud of all the hard work and accomplishments of all our students throughout the History Day program.”

Michigan History Day is an educational program of the Historical Society of Michigan, the state’s oldest cultural organization. Michigan History Day is an affiliate of National History Day, which was established in 1974 and offers yearlong academic programs that engage more than half a million middle- and high-school students around the world annually.