Calabasas HS History Day Club Advances to State Finals

The Los Angeles County History Day competition was held on March 7, 2026, at John Marshall High School. Students from Calabasas High School participated in the event and are advancing to the State Finals.

The CHS History Day LA club, represented by their president Emily Pearlman, and vice president Artemis Zamanian, won first place in the competition.  With this win, they qualified to advance to the NHD-CA State Finals.

The students will now compete at California State University, Sacramento.

Every year, National History Day organizes competitions that encourage students to research and present historical topics. Each year’s contest follows a specific theme that connects to important historical events and ideas.

The theme for the 2026 competition was “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.” The theme was chosen to help students explore how major changes in history often happen as a response to ideas, actions, or important events.

The theme also connects to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. Students were encouraged to research topics that show how revolutions, reforms, and reactions have shaped societies throughout history.

Freshman Emily Pearlman, president of the club, said she chose to focus their project on child labor and its impact on American industry.

“I chose child labor reform and how it influenced industrial America,” Pearlman said.

Pearlman explained that the topic interested her because of its continuing relevance.

“I just thought it was a very prominent issue today, and it’s just not discussed enough,” Pearlman said. “Although it was very influential during the Industrial Revolution, it still happens today.”

The county competition lasted most of the day, giving students time to present and be evaluated by the judges.

“I got there around like 8, and it ended around 4,” Pearlman said.

Pearlman and Zamanian earned first place in the exhibit category of the senior division.

“We won first place,” Pearlman said. “There are different categories, such as exhibit, documentary, and podcasts, but we won first in the exhibit category.”

Pearlman said the project required significant research and preparation leading up to the competition.

“We put around maybe a month into the project,” Pearlman said. “It took about a week to build the board exhibit, and the research was done over time.”

Pearlman also shared that she helped bring the History Day club to CHS after participating in the program earlier.

“I did it in middle school, and I realized we didn’t have it here,” Pearlman said. “I thought it was a really fun competition and something everyone should know about, so I wanted to bring it to Calabasas.”

She added that the competition was originally required in her middle school history class.

“In our history class, it was required to participate,” Pearlman said. “A lot of people didn’t want to at first, but once they started creating the project, they realized it was actually really fun.”

Winning at the county level was also a personal milestone for Pearlman.

“This is my first time winning an award,” she said.

After their success at the county level, Zamanian and Pearlman will represent CHS at the state finals in Sacramento. The competition will take place from May 1 to May 3, 2026, where students from across California will present their projects and compete for a chance to advance further.

Their first-place finish marks an important achievement for the club and gives the school representation at the state level.