White House Historical Association and Washington Nationals Announce Winners of Education Challenge
240 Students from Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia competed for the five $1,000 prizesWashington, D.C. —
The White House Historical Association and the Washington Nationals announced the winning student submissions for White House at Bat: A Presidential History Challenge. This program asked individual students and student teams in grades 9-12 to create a storyboard examining the Constitutional powers of one of the five Racing Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, or William Howard Taft. The projects focused on decision-making in the White House and considering how executive decisions throughout history have influenced the diverse constituencies that make up the American citizenry.
The winners include: Hannah Bailey from Oakton High School in Fairfax County, Virginia (Washington); Reni Hadeishi from T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria City, Virginia (Jefferson); Nicolo Allado from Herndon High School in Fairfax County, Virginia (Lincoln); Mihika Peshwa, Miranda Pierce, and Sukhman Kaur from Northwest High School in Montgomery County, Maryland (Roosevelt); and Samantha O'Sullivan and Catherine Morrison from School Without Walls High School in Washington, D.C. (Taft). The winning teams will each be presented a $1,000 prize at an awards reception held at the National Center for White House History. In addition to this event, videographers from the Washington Nationals will produce a short video for each project. These will be shared with fans during a game at Nationals Park and showcased online.
"Part of the White House Historical Association's mission is education—to teach and tell the stories of White House history. This partnership with the Nationals has helped engage students, and the students' wonderful work is helping achieve that mission," said Stewart D. McLaurin, White House Historical Association President.
"We're impressed by the creative storyboards submitted by local students and look forward to featuring the winners' work," said Washington Nationals Vice President, Community Engagement Gregory McCarthy. "The videos will join our Racing Presidents and the in-game trivia contests to help presidential history come alive in Nationals Park."
The contest showcases the two organizations' dedication to expanding their educational reach through collaboration, and fulfills the White House Historical Association's mission to education the public about White House history.
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Download the ReleaseAbout the White House Historical Association
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy envisioned a restored White House that conveyed a sense of history through its decorative and fine arts. She sought to inspire Americans, especially children, to explore and engage with American history and its presidents. In 1961, the nonprofit, nonpartisan White House Historical Association was established to support her vision to preserve and share the Executive Mansion’s legacy for generations to come. Supported entirely by private resources, the Association’s mission is to assist in the preservation of the state and public rooms, fund acquisitions for the White House permanent collection, and educate the public on the history of the White House. Since its founding, the Association has given more than $115 million to the White House in fulfillment of its mission.
To learn more about the White House Historical Association, please visit WhiteHouseHistory.org.