Dozens of young Riverside County historians are preparing for their next competition.
After winning honors at the Riverside County History Day, held in March at Moreno Valley’s Canyon Springs High School, they’ll advance to the state competition held May 1-3 at Sacramento State.
In the competition, students analyze historic people, places and events with a project, which include essays, group performance and podcasts.
The theme for 2026 is “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.” The county competition featured students from fourth through 12th grades.
State winners will move to the National History Day Competition from June 14 to 18 in Maryland.
Riverside County students moving on include:
Elementary division, grades 4-5
Individual podcast
• “A Workplace Revolution: The Birth of Labor Safety Laws” | Maximilliano Varela, Armada Elementary School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “Tiny Chips, Big Changes: How Semiconductors Changed Our World” | Ocean George, Lincoln Fundamental Elementary School, Corona-Norco Unified
• “The Scientific Revolution: Dolly’s Legacy” | Aksharaa Saravana, Lincoln Fundamental Elementary School, Corona-Norco Unified
• “Give Me Liberty!” | Marian Gutierrez, Armada Elementary School, Moreno Valley Unified
Group podcast
• “A Right to Learn — The IDEA That Changed School” | Abraham Holm and Abbigail Sanchez, Seneca Elementary School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “A Revolutionary Step Toward Freedom: The Emancipation Proclamation” | Malaysia Jordan and Genesis Valdez, Armada Elementary School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “The Lemon Grove Incident: Reaction That Sparked Change” | Irene Nicolas Jose and Gianna Trujillo, Armada Elementary School, Moreno Valley Unified
Individual poster
• “No Service, No Silence: The Dewey’s Lunch Counter Sit-in” | Elia Nevling, Boulder Ridge Elementary School, Romoland Elementary School District
• “Yellowstone: A Revolutionary Idea That Changed America” | Alisa Yi, Temescal Valley Elementary School, Corona-Norco Unified
• “Revolution, Reaction, Reform: Rachel Carson and the Environmental Movement” | Victoria Zhou, Garretson Elementary School, Corona-Norco Unified
• “Let the Children Play! How the Industrial Revolution Stole Childhood” | Isaiah Miller, Garretson Elementary School, Corona-Norco Unified
Group poster
• “Cesar Chavez: Revolutionizing and Protecting Farmworkers” | Braxton Backstrom, Nicolas Salazar, Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, Riverside Unified
• “From Ban to Bloom: The Dual Language Immersion Triumph” | Jaylla Magaña, Cassadee Meyer, George Washington Elementary School, Corona-Norco Unified
• “Chernobyl: The Explosion That Made History” | Jeremiah Eliseo Cabildo, Declan Stott, Garretson Elementary School, Corona-Norco Unified
• “Jackie Robinson” | Janely Diaz, Brooklyn Key, Aliana Kocina, Hemmerling Elementary School, Banning Unified
Junior division, grades 6-8
Individual documentary
• “From Silence to Sound: Walt Disney’s Revolution in Animation” | Andrew Del Villar, Lakeside Middle School, Val Verde Unified
• “Echoes of Silence: Remembering Cambodia’s Revolution of Death” | Ayesha Ashfaq, Amelia Earhart Middle School, Riverside Unified
• “Out of the Flames: The Tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire” | Anchali Srirajan, Garretson Elementary School, Corona-Norco Unified
Group documentary
• “A Hanging Revolution: How Bush v. Gore Sparked Reaction and Reform in U.S. Democracy” | Lilyana Covington, Elijah Holm, Vista Heights Middle School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “A Revolution on Your Plate: America’s Fight for Pure Food” | Angela Ananthanathan, Ronov Ranjith, Corona Fundamental Intermediate School, Corona-Norco Unified
• “Propaganda to Protest: Japan’s Transformation Ensuing Animation” | Mahi Kotia, Sri Kritika Sayyaparaju, Dr. Augustine Ramirez Intermediate School, Corona-Norco Unified
Individual exhibit
• “Beyond The California Dream: The Chicano Revolution” | Geraldine Annet Solis, Sierra Middle School, Riverside Unified
• “Press Start: How the Nintendo Entertainment System Sparked a Gaming Revolution, Provoked a Reaction, and Reformed an Industry” | Lauryn Ng, Vista Heights Middle School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “Pain Ends Debate Begins: Anesthesia’s Revolution Reaction and Reform” | Suhana Jakvani, Lincoln Fundamental Elementary School, Corona-Norco Unified
Group exhibit
• “Antiseptic Surgery: Ensuring Sterilization” | Phoebe Akele, Arianny Rosales, Lorena Soto, Lakeside Middle School, Val Verde Unified
• “The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: Sparking a Revolution in Industrial Safety” | Zoe Martinez Acosta, Jonathan Wang, Ariel Williams, Vista Verde Middle School, Val Verde Unified
• “The Meiji Restoration: Revolution Reform Modernization” | Novak Wei, Clay Yin, Amelia Earhart Middle School, Riverside Unified
Individual performance
• “Athena’s Ask: The Athenian Revolution” | Fara McPhail, Amelia Earhart Middle School, Riverside Unified
• “Satyagraha: The Non-Violent Revolution, from Gandhi’s Hands to King’s Dream” | Akshita Saravana, Corona Fundamental Intermediate School, Corona-Norco Unified
• “The Price to be Heard: The Rock and Roll Revolution, Payola Reaction, and the Reform of American Media” | Sadie Rotz, Mission Vista Academy, Beaumont Unified
Group performance
• “The Black Death: Effects on Humankind” | Eleanor Alldredge, Arianna Auman, Jacob Johnston, Desmond Power, Amelia Earhart Middle School, Riverside Unified
• “Adopted, Not Bought: The Cabbage Patch Kids and the Revolution of Childhood Consumer Culture” | Briana Arias, Samantha De Paz Chinchilla, Yanderi Monroy, Olivia Villegas, Vista Heights Middle School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “From Idea to Action: How NOW Shaped the Future of Women’s Rights” | Aashni Elayaraja, Sophia Huang, Irina Lin, Jovita Rajasekar, Clara Barton Elementary School, Corona-Norco Unified
Individual podcast
• “Rigged for Ratings: The Quiz Show Scandals and the Crisis of Trust in Television” | Brooklyn Vrilakas, Vista Heights Middle School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “Mendez vs Westminster” | Natalya Benor, Clara Barton Elementary School, Corona-Norco Unified
• “Uprising for Justice After Undergoing Years of Police Brutality on the Basis of Race: How the 1992 Los Angeles Riots Caused a Revolution, Reaction, and Reform” | Valerie Silva Yupe, Mountain View Middle School, Moreno Valley Unified
Group podcast
• “Privacy on Trial: The Revolutionary Moment in Women’s Reproductive Rights History, Roe v. Wade” | Denise Arriaga, Melissa Camacho, Chizara Odimegwu, Ava Ybarra, Vista Verde Middle School, Val Verde Unified
• “From Rivalry to Reform: How the American Basketball Association (ABA) Revolutionized the National Basketball Association” | Anthony Aguilar-Mares, Wyatt Fleming, Nathan Morga, Sierra Middle School, Riverside Unified
• “Hearts on Fire: Religious Revolution, Colonial Reaction, and Lasting Reform in the First Great Awakening” | Hannah Calderon, Amiya Suggars, Vista Heights Middle School, Moreno Valley Unified
Individual website
• “The Destruction That Brought Safety” | Swayze Adams, Matthew Gage Middle School, Riverside Unified
• “The Aftermath of Pearl Harbor: Japanese American Resistance in Redefining American Identity” | Khloe Nguyen, Prado View Elementary School, Corona-Norco Unified
• “Pauline Sabin: A Leader in the Fight to End Prohibition” | Mia Chapman, El Cerrito Middle School, Corona-Norco Unified
Group website
• “The Pentagon Papers: Malicious Intent Enveloped Under Government Deception” | Valeria Cortes, Melena Marquez, Bonnie Bella Perez, Lakeside Middle School, Val Verde Unified
• “The Second Sino-Japanese War: The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression” | Eric Gu, Jenny Xiao, Jeron Xiao, Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside Unified
• “The Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” | Ashley Murithi, Ahlanie Tovar, Dr. Bernice Todd Elementary School, Corona-Norco Unified
Senior division, grades 9-12
Individual documentary
• “Stonewall: A Queers and Queens Revolution for Reform” | Leo Hurtado, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “Helen Frankenthaler and the Abstract Expressionist Movement” | Michaela Hsu, St. Jeanne de Lestonnac School, Diocese of San Bernardino
• “Salem Witch Trials” | Jennavieve Covington, Moreno Valley High School, Moreno Valley Unified
Group documentary
• “The Front that Stood for Self Determination: Reforming the Long Duree of Institutional Educational Underrepresentation” | Francine Habacon, Kristie Wanjohi, Rancho Verde High School, Val Verde Unified
• “Liberty at the Guillotine: How Popular Revolution Destroyed the French Monarchy and Sparked the Reign of Terror” | Ava Provencio, Paris Villegas, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “The Murder of Vincent Chin” | Bryce Nguyen-Tran, Minh Tran, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Corona-Norco Unified
Individual exhibit
• “Breaking the Scalpel Ceiling: Elizabeth Blackwell’s Revolution, Reaction, and Reform for Women in Medicine” | Vidhi Vora, Santiago High School, Corona-Norco Unified
• “Utopia to Uniformity: How Soviet Reform Turned Avant-Garde Ideals into Ideological Control” | Warda Khan, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “The United Farm Workers Movement in the Coachella Valley” | Ana Sofia Ramirez, Notre Dame High School, Diocese of San Bernardino
Group exhibit
• “The Birth of Jazz: A Musical Revolution, Racial Reaction, Reform in American Cultural Identity” | Kasey Pixcar, Mary Soriano, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “Uncle Tom’s Cabin: A Societal Revolution, National Reactions, and a War for Reform” | Chelsea Guerrero, Joselyn Lopez, Ethan Lundberg, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “ACT UP: Grassroots Power and the Acceleration of AIDS Medical Reform” | Riteesh Settypalli, Nilay Vora, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco Unified
Individual performance
• “Wearing Dissent: Tinker v. Des Moines and the Reaction to Student Protest, the Revolution in Youth Free Speech, and the Reform of American Schools” | Atika Anjum, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “Bob Dylan: A Lyrical Revolutionist Who Spurred Reactions and Reformed Expectations” | Kimiko Kitayama, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley Unified
Group performance
• “From Mines to Massacre: The Reaction to Industrial Reform” | Victor Arreola-Vizcarra, Amyah Biddle-Browne, Camryn Canada, Kimyah King, Aubrey Leiba, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “The French Revolution: How Reactions and the Guillotine Led to Reform” | Andria Anderson, Jalen De Lucia, Avah Lizardi, Melissa Lopez, Caseyleen Trinidad, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “The Antibiotics Revolution: Reshaping Medicine, Society, and Survival” | Belagia Faltas, Rohit Satheeshkumar, Roshhan Satheeshkumar, Santiago High School, Corona-Norco Unified
Individual podcast
• “The Pentagon Papers: A Revolution in Journalism” | Colin Difani, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside Unified
• “From Revival to Reform, How the Second Great Awakening Sparked a Religious Revolution and Provoked National Reaction” | Melody Velasco, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “Her Story Unfolded: Dorothea Dix’s Reform, Revolution, and the Public Response That Refined It” | Carlie Adams, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley Unified
Group podcast
• “Turning Back Time: Alan Turing’s Scientific Revolutions, the Reaction Against Him, and the Reforms That Followed” | Phoebe Heng, Saanvi Nukala, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Corona-Norco Unified
• “The British Invasion: Pop Music Revolution, American Reaction, and Reform in Global Music” | Isabella Aviles, Julissa Guerra, Emily Hernandez, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley Unified
• “Women Under Mao” | Siyan Guo, Shiyun He, Ruihan Rao, Idyllwild Arts Academy
Individual website
• “A Nation Under the Knife: The U.S. Sanitary Commission’s Revolution, Reaction, and Reform” | Maham Rizvi, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside Unified
• “‘Only the Brave Dare Eat the Fare’: How Harvey Wiley’s Poison Squad Reformed the American Public’s Opinion on Food Health and Safety” | Hannah Palardy, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside Unified
• “Chemical Weapons in WWI: A Scientific Revolution, Horrified Public Reaction, and Reform via the Geneva Protocol” | Andrea Agredano, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley Unified
Group website
• “The O Ring That Revolutionized the Space Industry” | Fernando Garcia, Lynnette Vu, Zahne Wortman, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside Unified
• “Thalidomide: A Medical Revolution, Public Reaction, and Lasting Reform” | Vivian Lee, Lena Lu, Santiago High School, Corona Norco Unified
• “The Manhattan Project” | Ethan Krinke, Austin Macias, Jose Ortiz, St. Jeanne de Lestonnac School, Diocese of San Bernardino