Members of the History Competition Association (HCA) club began preparations for the National History Day competition, which took place Feb. 20. Seminole’s team has been competing for three years now.

Each year, the competition involves a certain theme in history. This year it is “Exploration, Encounters and Exchange in History.” From this theme, competitors pick a topic relating to it to create their project around it. Mrs. Bridget Walters sponsors the club and also aids the participants on their path to success.

Junior Elizabeth McCown says, “[Mrs.Walters] is an active sponsor of HCA. She guides and gives us the necessary skills needed to do well at competition.”

In the club, participants prepared for competition by researching aspects relating to their topic; teams can create a documentary, website, exhibit, paper or a performance for competition.

Members have also been conducting mock interviews to imitate the real interview, along with working on projects individually at home. This interview involves a member imitating what a judge may ask them during the real competition.

“Preparing for competition helps me in many ways because it allows me to look at history from different perspectives. For my team’s project this year, we chose to research the influence of the Crusades on European exploration and expansion, ” sophomore Wenjie Gong says.

During the competition, each team presents their project to the judges who interview them and evaluate the historical information they included.

Junior Reagan Pack says, “Being a part of [HCA] has had a significant impact on my life. I improved on many major life skills such as public speaking and time management.”

HCA is an outlet for students to express their interest for historical events while improving upon their abilities. This club allows participants to gain real life skills to aid them in the work force.