Hawaiʻi History Day brought 46 schools, 85 teachers and more than 5,000 students from across the islands to Windward Community College for a competition. This year's theme, “Rights & Responsibilities in History,” came to life through performances, exhibits, websites, documentaries and essays.
Marliena Domer, Audrey Maderazo, and Shaylene Padron are eighth graders at King David Kalākaua Middle School in Kalihi. They took home first place in the performance category and a ticket to the national competition in Washington, D.C., for their piece on the Equal Pay Act of 1963.
But their trip is up in the air because of deep cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities at the hands of the Trump administration. Now, the future of the 40-year-old competition is in doubt.
HPR spoke to the middle schoolers and teacher Jamie Valerio about their performance — and the future.
This interview aired on The Conversation on April 24, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
