Los Alamos Historical Society Hosts National History Day Showcase Feb. 24

The Los Alamos Historical Society will host a National History Day showcase at Fuller Lodge from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, inviting community members to stop by to explore exhibit displays, websites and documentaries and to wish participants well before they advance to the regional competition in Santa Fe. The society put the invitation in a Feb. 19 announcement announcing the showcase.

Piñon Elementary School recently staged its first in-school National History Day contest, and the campus sent student projects to the community showcase process after that event. Forty-four Piñon sixth graders participated in the school contest across five project categories: performance, documentary, website, paper and exhibit, and students received pointers in workshops led by National History Day students from Los Alamos Middle School.

Courtney Smith, Pinon Elementary’s NHD coordinator, praised the students’ effort and the school’s step into the program: “They worked hard on their projects, and their efforts paid off,” she said. “Being able to host this event for the first time at our school is a great accomplishment.” Parent volunteers, Los Alamos Historical Society volunteers and representatives from the New Mexico NHD organization served as judges at the Piñon contest.

Winners at Piñon as reported by LAPS include group performance first-place winners Winnie Birocco and Nixyn Martines and individual performance first-place winner Olivia Conner-Lee. The group documentary first-place team listed Garrett Hodgson, Carlos Marquez, Finnly Harrison, Benjamin Lee and Benjamin Fichtel. In the historical paper category Aditya Nag took first and Jonas Whitton placed second.

The Los Alamos Historical Society frames the showcase as part of its mission to engage young people with the community’s history. The society’s website states, “Los Alamos Historical Society preserves, promotes, and communicates the remarkable history and inspiring stories of Los Alamos and its people for our community, for the global audience, and for future generations.” The Los Alamos History Museum is located at 1050 Bathtub Row, and LAHS materials note guided walking tours and a Spring 2026 lecture lineup beginning Jan. 13 at 7:00 p.m.

The society also used social media to promote the showcase; an Instagram post from the losalamoshistory account reads in part, “We are excited to host a showcase for students headed to National History Day regionals! Come support local students on”, the post excerpt provided is truncated. The nonprofit’s administrative details include a mailing address, P.O. Box 43, Los Alamos, NM 87544, and 501(c)(3) status with tax ID #85-0231249, and the organization invites membership and donations to support programs.

The Feb. 24 showcase at Fuller Lodge gives middle and high school competitors a public forum before regionals in Santa Fe and connects neighborhood volunteers, museum staff and school partners in a single evening of student work. Community members planning to attend can arrive at Fuller Lodge between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24 to view projects and to support students preparing for the next stage of competition.