Young Minnesota Students Avoid Trumpness by Performing History Research Projects

I helped to judge student performances at National History Day in Minnesota. I have volunteered as a judge since 2018. It’s my way to support students’ choices to engage in research and hopefully as thoughtful citizens of the world.

Minnesota Junior high schoolers committed to research, understand and report about history for National History Day in Minnesota. The results could be in the forms of a trifold exhibit, a documentary or a performance. The 2025 theme was Rights and Responsibilities in History. Projects addressed the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Phyllis Wheatley and the First Amendment, Brown V. the Board of Education and a few other subjects.

The performance genre of projects was special relative to other contest genres. The level of difficulty and potential complexity of the project was higher. Most students choose to create tri-fold cardboard historical exhibits, which sit upon tables. During my first three years as a judge, I judged these. That is an easier chore than theater.

In my fourth year, having had my fill of assessing trifold exhibits, I wanted a novel and attractive challenge.

The youngsters whom I judged chose to present their research results as a theatrical performance. Some thespian students wanted that challenge.

The first two junior high school student teams set a high standard for historical knowledge and doing so using theater. The first two had thorough process papers, well-researched scripts, and enthusiastic and well-rehearsed performances.

If these set the baseline for the later groups, then it would be difficult to discern the superior projects! My judge team found the best team performances easy to identify. The rushed and slap-dash performances of the latter two-thirds of groups made themselves obvious. The slapdashedness reminded me of the way the 47^th U.S. president acts; there is meager adult thought put in.

Sadly, the middle three teams’ performances either had meager commitment, energy, creativity or meager time to research, write or rehearse their performances. The shallowness, and maybe youth showed in the lack of wit, energy and creativity with which they presented their research results. The shallow enthusiasm and artistry disappointed me.

The research product was more the reality of their age than of conscious laziness. Doing poorly can be excused when, as a junior high schooler age 12 through 14, you are child.

I see similarities between those poor-performing students and ill-performing public servants. When the 47^th American president, a fully developed adult, derides unflattering facts, and social reality, there is no excuse. Video and written evidence of that person’s conduct shows that it lies, propagates conspiracies, contorts information and demeans others as long as this conduct shows the president as heroic.

The diligent and well-prepared History Day contestants showed the likelihood to be superior adults and more conscientious citizens than the 47^th president.

World citizens, and U.S. citizens who voted for that person as U.S. president deserve to receive and expect a daunting level of professional and human competence.