This page is dedicated to recognizing the outstanding achievements of student historians throughout the History Fair season!
Students of the Week
This week’s Students of the Week
| Stephen Thomas School: Bogan High School Steve’s dedication towards keeping the contributions of influential African Americans in Chicago History has been his passion since 7th grade. He’s seen the struggles stemming from reconstruction until now with African Americans solidify his quest in keeping history alive! This year’s theme has enabled him to take a deeper dive into the history of Chicago and connect it on a global level. |  |
 | Charley Hayes, Ava Pecoraro, and Juliana Padavic School: Lakeview Junior High This group’s interest in environmental activism has led them to study Erin Brockovich and her impact on public awareness about environmental issues. Despite being remote, they’ve joined together for movie nights and have raised the bar for the classmates, being enthusiastic in their pursuit of resources. |
| Emily H and Ava D School: Lakeview Junior High Even though Emily and Ava are in different classes, they manage to communicate daily and collect valuable sources across the web as part of their research into the tragic fire at Our Lady of Angels. Their best source is an interview with a survivor of this awful but important event! |  |
| Amelia V and Aubrey C School: Lakeview Junior High Amelia and Aubrey are studying Women’s Swimming, which was an early venue for women to champion equality. Both students are competitive swimmers and have successfully tied their passion for the pool into a meaningful topic with a significant impact for women across sport. |
| Click here to nominate yourself or someone else as CMHF Student of the week! Winners receive a digital gift card and are featured here on the CMHF website! | |
Previous Students of the Week
| Name: Hana Kim School: Lenart RGC Hana has dived right into her topic, Our Lady of the Angels School fire, to research how the disaster was communicated around the world and the impact on fire safety laws. Working both on her own and together with the research librarians at Northeastern Illinois University, Hana is showing that smart research is the key to understanding your topic this year! Congratulations to Hana for Making History this year! |  |
 | Name: Sophia Fredericks School: St. Giles School If anyone ever says that history is boring, Sophia might have a movie recommendation for them! Among other sources, she has viewed and analyzed roughly ten different zombie films for her project which makes connections to the social events that were occurring at the time of each film’s production, from Haitian Vodou to the Civil Rights Movement. Congratulations to Sophia on her dedication! |
| Name: Charlie Archambault School: St. Giles School Charlie has demonstrated his genuine passion for learning history has been evident throughout the process of History Fair. His meticulous research into the antiwar protests of the 1960s has led him to some great sources including publications from the Smithsonian, Yale University, etc. Most notably, Charlie analyzed the official transcript for the Trial of the Chicago Seven. Congrats to Charlie for his excellent work ethic and willingness to tackle complex source material! |  |
| Who will be the next Student of the Week? Click here to nominate yourself or someone else as CMHF Student of the week! Winners receive a digital gift card and are featured here on the CMHF website! |
Student Awards
Students who compete in the CMHF Regional contests may self-nominate their project for one or more of our History Fair in Action awards! Awards are a great way to allow more people to see your project, look great on school applications, and include cash prizes for students! Check out our Theme and Topics page for topic suggestions to get started!
- History in my Backyard Award: Projects that incorporate the student’s own identity, family, or neighborhood.
- Power of the People Award: Projects that highlight activism or organized protest for social justice and equity.
- United We Stand Award: Projects that focus on local/community organizations, especially in Chicago.
Check back here often as these awards could be changed or new awards added.
Advancing Projects
Projects that advance to Senior Finals, State, and National levels of competition will be posted here.
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