Brewster Makes History at NH History Day State Finals

For the first time, Brewster Academy sent students to compete at the New Hampshire State Finals of National History Day, held this spring at Plymouth State University. It would not be a quiet debut.

Four students represented the school in the Senior Division, competing alongside hundreds of middle and high schoolers from across the state in five categories: Paper, Documentary, Exhibit, Website, and Performance. By the end of the day, Brewster had earned top placements in three of them, and multiple students had secured invitations to the National Competition in June.

The energy was palpable even before the awards were announced. Over lunch, students buzzed with stories from their judge interviews, sharing the conversations that had grown out of months of deep, original research and the historical arguments they had worked so hard to build.

Graham Jerke ’28 and Jack Cuddy ’28, boarding students from the United Kingdom and Massachusetts, respectively, brought one of the day's most unexpected stories to the stage. Their Group Website entry, "The Pig War: The Bloodless Conflict That Shaped America," introduced judges to a little-known period of escalating tensions along the U.S.-Canada border in what is now the Pacific Northwest. Judges praised the pair for their topic choice and the genuine curiosity driving their research.

Ava Lincender ’28, an international student from Bosnia and Herzegovina, turned in one of the most memorable performances of the day. Competing in Individual Performance, she delivered an originally crafted letter imagining the words Abigail Adams might have wished to send to her husband, John Adams, while he was away helping write the Declaration of Independence. The letter gave voice to Adams' frustration that women's rights had been left behind by the very revolution her husband was shaping.

Ava's performance was so convincing that judges initially believed the letter was authentic. She earned 2nd Place in Individual Performance and the prestigious Outstanding Revolutionary War History Award, presented by the Society of the Cincinnati of New Hampshire to the best submission across the entire competition tied to a Revolutionary Era topic. With America marking the 250th anniversary of its founding and this year's theme centered on Revolution, Reaction, Reform, the recognition felt especially fitting.

Michael Jozokos ’27, a Lowell, Mass. native, closed out the day with a first-place finish. His paper, "Hear With Our Eyes: The Revolutionary Reform of Closed Captioning in American Media," earned top honors in the Papers category of the Senior Division, widely considered the most competitive in the field. Michael prevailed over 22 entries from students at some of New Hampshire's highest-performing schools. His paper told the story of the fight for accessibility in television and made the case that closed captioning represented a revolutionary shift in how America recognized and included its deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Judges took notice of how skillfully he wove together the elements of this year's theme.

When his name was called, the moment hit hard. "When they call first place, I'm like, oh my god, it's me," Michael ’27 said. "I got there on stage and was like, this is amazing." He found his teacher shortly after the announcement. "When I saw Mr. Browher afterwards, it was the biggest smile I've ever seen on a teacher's face."

Ava ’28 shared a similar excitement about her second place finish. “This was an incredible experience for me,” she said. “I will remember and cherish it for a very long time."

History teacher Jon Browher, who guided the students through Brewster's inaugural year at the competition, reflected on what the day meant. “I am so proud of our student competitors, who earned some of the top awards representing Brewster as pioneers of the event,” Browher said. “What especially distinguished our students was how much heart and soul they brought to their process of inquiry, and how they shared with judges the ways in which their topic aligned with their values. For me, that exemplifies what Brewster is all about."

Michael demonstrated the truth in his history teacher’s words. “For me, history is a mode of thinking," the junior student said, "one cultivated by my time at Brewster."

From June 14 through 18, students from all 50 states and territories will gather at the University of Maryland College Park for the National Finals. Brewster will be among them.