Another banner History Day! N-P’s Sinnwell wins second straight national title; two more projects garner honors

By Bob Fenske, Nashua Reporter/Enterprise Media

Caleb Sinnwell just can’t stop winning national titles.

The soon-to-be Nashua-Plainfield sophomore sat with teammates, family and others Saturday inside the Nashua Fire Department, watching the virtual awards announcements for the National History Day contest, where he learned that for the second year in a row he had been named a national champion.

Sinnwell’s individual website —   “Khrushchev, Corn, and Cold War Diplomacy: Garst Grows Relations With Russia One Ear At A Time,” which detailed how a visit by Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev helped thaw Cold War relations in the 1950s — was named the best by judges.

The only downside was not being in the Washington, D.C., area for the contest, as this was the third year the competition has been held virtually.

“I’m not going to lie, I was really, really nervous,” Sinnwell said about waiting for the awards announcement.

The title comes a year after Sinnwell won the junior national title for a website he constructed to tell the story of the “Ghost Army,” which was made up of units that used deception to help defeat Nazi Germany in World War II.

And it was the cap to what turned out to be an excellent National History Day contest for Nashua-Plainfield, which has become a contest powerhouse both in the state of Iowa and nationally.

High school students Cal Levi, Paige Franzen and Kadence Huck were awarded the E Pluribus Unum Special Award from the America 250 Foundation for its group documentary titled “Out of the Chairs, Up the Stairs: ADA Now!”

Incoming Nashua-Plainfield freshman Elexa O’Neill not only made the finals for her junior paper titled “Herbert Hoover: Humanitarian Hero Halts Hunger Through Food Diplomacy,” but she also was honored by being named one of the White House Historical Showcase honorees.

And junior high students Connor Sullivan, Chris Niedert and Lily Jones finished third in their “room” at the contest.

For longtime Nashua-Plainfield History Day advisor Suzy Turner, the nerves on Saturday didn’t quite approach those she had during the state contest that was held in late April in Des Moines.

“That’s the one that’s always the hardest on me,” she said. “It’s such a ‘cheers and tears’ kind of thing at state. You’re so happy for the ones that made it and you feel the emotions for those who didn’t.”

Turner said she was proud of all of her National History Day contest qualifiers.

“I think one of the things that always means a lot to me is they never really settle,” she said. “Their projects changed from districts to state, and even after they made nationals, it wasn’t like they just sat on them. … They worked on them, made them better. Even if we hadn’t won a thing at nationals I would have been happy because I know they put so much time and effort into their projects.”

One of the most-asked questions of Nashua-Plainfield National History Day participants over the years has been if they really enjoy this particular competition, which is, basically, hours and hours of extra homework, researching their project then putting together their entries.

“Yeah, it’s kind of crazy, isn’t it?” Cal Levi said with a laugh. “But seriously, we do have fun.”

Kadence Huck said, “It is a lot of work, but you definitely have your moments. You’re doing history that you’re really interested in, and you’re doing it with your friends … so yeah, it’s fun, which I know sounds a little strange to those who don’t do History Day.”

Elexa O’Neill, whose division requires a paper of 1,500 to 2,500 words, said she found something she was passionate about as she told the story of Iowa’s only president, who many remember as a failure because of the Great Depression, yet who is considered a hero by the Belgian people for his work bringing food to the famine-stricken country after World War I.

“That’s what makes this so meaningful,” O’Neill said about History Day. “Here, you get to really dive into something that you’re really interested in.”

As Sinnwell soaked in a second straight year being a national champion, he talked about how appreciative he was for his National History Day advisor and his teammates.

“They make it worth it,” he said. “We do have a lot of fun doing this, which I know to some people sounds crazy, but to me, that’s the best part of National History Day.”

Student, teacher honored at the opening of ‘Ghost Army’ exhibit

By Bob Fenske, Nashua Reporter

Two days before Nashua-Plainfield High School student Caleb Sinnwell learned he had won a second straight national championship at the National History Day contest, Sinnwell and his NHD advisor, Suzy Turner, were in suburban Chicago to help open a traveling exhibit about the Ghost Army that the Illinois Holocaust Museum will have on display for the next six months.

The Ghost Army was the subject of Sinnwell’s 2021 National History Day individual website that gave Nashua-Plainfield its first-ever NHD national title.

“It was an amazing experience,” Sinnwell said. “And it meant a lot to me and Mrs. Turner.”

Turner said, “We weren’t sure what to expect, but to walk in there and see the ‘special thanks’ to us on one of the placards, it was nice. … It does show you the power of History Day and the connections our students can make.”

The Ghost Army was created by American military units that used radio communications and camouflage to deceive the Nazis during World War II.

Sinnwell’s NHD project brought him into contact with author and filmmaker Rick Beyer, who spent a number of years lobbying Congress to present the Ghost Army and its veterans with the Congressional Gold Medal.

After Sinnwell won his 2021 NHD title, the then-freshman in high school joined those lobbying efforts, calling on U.S. senators around the country to raise support for the bill that passed Congress in the fall of 2021.

The Ghost Army exhibit had been displayed at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and will now be displayed at museums around the country, with the Illinois Holocaust Museum being the first to host the traveling exhibit.

Sinnwell said the best part of the trip to Skokie, Illinois, was meeting a Ghost Army veteran, 99-year-old Bernie Bluestein, who was part of the Ghost Army’s unit that handled camouflage.

“Oh my gosh, that was the absolute best,” he said. “Just being able to sit down and talk with him and hear about his experiences, it meant the world to me. He might be 99 and using a wheelchair and walker, but he is really sharp.

“Guys like that are the reason I wanted to make sure that the Ghost Army got the recognition they deserved,” he said.