News Staffer Charlie Crawford (left) stands with Chelsea Mack (right), former Burney Harris Lyons teacher, currently Cedar Shoals High School social studies department teacher at the National History Day national competition at the University of Maryland on June 9, 2025. In eighth grade, as part of the annual NHD competition, Crawford created a website about the Osage Murders, experiencing a lack of engagement during the process. “Once I was able to overcome those mental hesitations, I approached the website with newfound appreciation. While constructing the project, I found joy in the smaller things such as the tiny connections in history and the website creation and organization. ” Crawford wrote. Photo courtesy of Fred Boyles
News Staffer Charlie Crawford reflects on his experience with the National History Day competition and its impact on him.
I haven’t always loved history.
In fact, I vividly remember despising it during my transition to middle school. But one outlet helped me learn to enjoy and appreciate history: National History Day, a national event where students compete by creating history projects centered around an overarching theme.
My journey with NHD really started at Burney Harris Lyons Middle School in Chelsea Mack’s eighth-grade history classroom. NHD’s 2024-25 theme was “Rights and Responsibilities in History,” and wanting to expand my horizons, I chose to create a website focusing on the Osage Murders, a series of killings in the early 1900s.
Although I had an idea mapped out, I didn’t fully start the website until a week before the deadline due to procrastination and detachment. It wasn’t until I eventually made ample progress that I realized how interesting the story really was.
How interesting history really was.
Once I was able to overcome those mental hesitations, I approached the website with newfound appreciation. While constructing the project, I found joy in the smaller things such as the tiny connections in history and the website creation and organization.
During the local NHD contest held at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education and Hotel in early 2025, I placed first in the Junior Individual Website division and earned Best Overall Junior Website.
I vividly remember despising it during my transition to middle school. But one outlet helped me learn to enjoy and appreciate history: National History Day.
A few months later during the state NHD contest held at LaGrange College, I placed exactly the same.
And during the national competition held at the University of Maryland…
I didn’t place.
But it was never about placement. It was about discovering a passion I didn’t know existed, and expanding on it.
Although I haven’t continued with NHD, I’ve been able to sit through history lessons interested and engaged. I’ve been able to better understand complex topics and ideologies. I’ve been able to better manage my time.
The rest is history.
