CARMEL, IN — Griffith History students went to Carmel High School on March 14 for their regional competition to present their projects for the 2026 National History Day Contest. 

The group of sophomores Elena Rivas, Jayden Ortega and Enrique Ramirez move on to state competition, along with senior soloist Natalie Wadkins. 

Rivas, Ortega and Ramirez will advance to state with their exhibit, “Frances Ellen Watkins Harper: Reacting to Injustice, Inspiring Revolution, Reforming America.”  

“We were pretty surprised,” Rivas said. “We’re going to update our information to just be better overall because the competition is going to be harder.” 

The exhibit marked a milestone for history teacher Jeffery Swisher, as it is the first student exhibit selected in his career. 

“I’ve never had an exhibit move on,” Swisher said. “Every year, about 70 to 80 exhibits are entered into competition, and only four move on, so it’s pretty cool having a state-bound exhibit.”  

Wadkins’ individual documentary, “The Steps We Took: Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in the Americans with Disabilities Act,” was also selected to go to the state level, building off her documentary last year, which competed at the national competition in Washington D.C. 

Participants will present on Saturday, April 18th, at Marian University in Indianapolis.