Secondary students in the Massapequa Public School District used their knowledge of history and creative ideas when they participated in the National History Day (NHD) competition at Hofstra University.

NHD provides students with the opportunity to research a topic in history in depth. This year's theme was "Conflict and Compromise in History." Berner Middle School students and Massapequa High School - Main Campus students spent several months researching their topics with support from their classroom teachers and the technology available to them through the district.

Upon completion of their projects, eighteen students competed against their peers from schools across Long Island. Winners and special recognition awards were chosen for several categories. This year's Massapequa winners are:

1st Place - Jordyn Iger: Origins on Trial: Can We Design an Intelligent Compromise?

2nd Place - Valentina Viscardi: The Story of the Women Air Force Service Pilots

2nd Place - Lauren Reisig: Equal Vote: Equal Voice

3rd Place - Alyssa Yurasits and Gabriella Johnston: United We Stand, Divided We Fell: Protesting Vietnam

Special School Achievement Award - Dylan Spiro and Jesse Spiro: Munich Massacre: Terrorism Wins Gold

4th Place in runoff competition - Michelle Goss and Alexandra Giordano: The Cuban Missile Crisis: The U.S. and the Soviet Union Go Face to Face 1st Place - Charlotte Burger: No Light at the End of the Tunnel. Conflict, Compromise and the Tet Offensive

Special School Achievement Award - Monica Perrino: Bridge of Hope

All first and second-place winners will participate in the next level of National History Day at the state competition in Cooperstown, New York on May 2, 2008. Those winners will then have the chance to compete at the prestigious national competition held in June at the University of Maryland.