Massapequa High School's Charlotte Burger has been excelling in the National History Day (NHD) contest since her days at Berner Middle School, advancing to both the state and national levels for her interpretations of history.

This competition, which annually engages more than half a million participants in grades six through 12 from 49 states, the District of Columbia, and American Samoa, encourages the study of history by guiding students to express themselves creatively through presentations of historical topics in various formats.

The most important aspect of an entry is its historical quality, which determines 60 percent of the total evaluation. Although historical quality is crucial, entries must be presented in an effective manner, and clarity of presentation is another judging factor that is considered.

In her latest phenomenal accomplishment, Charlotte has been selected to serve as New York State's Ambassador for the on-site "Jamestown Live!" Webcast. The live, interactive Webcast focuses on the history of the first permanent English Settlement in the United States. The Webcast brings the story of the nation's birthplace to life as it examines Jamestown's enduring legacies of exploration.

In addition to the on-site student ambassadors, teachers and students across the country had the opportunity to watch the live Webcast and engage in classroom discussions about the first settlement in our nation.

Student Ambassadors were selected to represent their states at "Jamestown Live!" as a result of their performance in the 2006 NHD national contest. Students participated in the contest by conducting in-depth research focused on the theme "Taking a Stand in History" and creating papers, exhibits, documentaries or performances to convey the findings of their original research. More than half a million students' projects were evaluated at the local contest level.