Best. History Paper. Ever.

June 30, 2009

By Christopher Huber

Samvit Jain wins national contest for his study of Chief Joseph

By Christopher Huber

Not many middle school students get to fly to the East Coast to show off a research paper they wrote. But that’s exactly what Redmond Junior High Quest eighth-grader Samvit Jain did June 13-18.

The Sammamish resident had earned high marks at the regional and state level for his paper about Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Tribe.

Jain and his family spent the week seeing the sights in Washington, D.C. and participating, along with hundreds of students from around the country, in the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland.

In the end, he won first place in the nation in the Junior Division (grades 6-8), paper category.

“I was kind of shocked,” Samvit said at his home in the Timberline neighborhood. “It’s a pretty amazing feeling.”

The national event drew 1,500 students, family members and coaches. Jain’s classmates, and fellow Sammamish residents, Rahul Devanarayanan and Nicholas Kodati placed third in the Junior Division, Web site category for their project titled “Mikhail S. Gorbachev: Dictator for Democracy.”

Samvit beat out 100 students in his category (two from each state) with his extensive research about the efforts of Chief Joseph to repatriate the Nez Perce to the Northwest.

According to a critique sheet, the judges raved about his work.

“Places the reader in the proper historical context, and provides a persuasive argument on Chief Joseph’s legacy,” one judge wrote. “Strong use of a wide variety of primary and secondary sources. Cleary much research went into this paper. Excellent introduction into the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Chief Joseph.”

The project began Oct. 1, when students around the country began researching topics of regional, state or national historical interest. Samvit chose to write a 2,500-word paper, but others created a Web site, made a documentary or built an exhibit, among other modes of presentation.

“The research depth varies on topic and how much you want to further your knowledge,” Samvit said. The goal was to show analysis of a person, he said.

His research — he cited more than 60 sources in his paper — took him to the National Archives building in Seattle and to electronic records at Bowdoin College. He even interviewed a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, he said.

“When you actually get into the research, that is the most interesting process,” Jain said. “This year I spent a lot of time … selecting a topic. I wanted to select something of interest and Chief Joseph was a very appealing topic.”

The competition phase began in March, when he submitted his paper to the North Puget Sound Regional round.

There he placed second out of 80 entries in his category, he said. At each level, judges, who are professional historians, critique the entry and interview the student.

After placing second locally, Samvit’s paper won the top prize at the April 25 Washington state event.

Samvit’s Quest language arts teacher Kimm Jensen coached him and the other National History Day contestants from Redmond Junior High.

His devotion and analytical skills impressed Jensen all the way through, she said.

“I told him standing at nationals, ‘you’ve got to write a book,’” she said. “Other than the fact that this kid is a good writer and should write a book someday, he spent hours at the University of Washington. He has an extremely analytical mind.”

Jensen said her students are eager to participate every year in the program and love the competition, which gives them an authentic audience outside of their peer group or class.

“This kid has a style that’s not only engaging but it’s analytical. It’s entertaining. He just has a gift,” Jensen said.

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.sammamishreview.com.

Not many middle school students get to fly to the East Coast to show off a research paper they wrote. But that’s exactly what Redmond Junior High Quest eighth-grader Samvit Jain did June 13-18.

The Sammamish resident had earned high marks at the regional and state level for his paper about Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Tribe.

Eighth-grader and Sammamish resident Samvit Jain won top honors in the junior paper category at the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland, College Park. Photo by Christopher Huber