NJ History Contest Support

FSOS Recognized by NJ History Day Contest

At William Paterson University on May 3rd, Sreejani Sinha from J. P. Stevens High School in Edison NJ presented her self-made documentary to the NJ History Day Contest judges. Our West Orange FSOS Chapter was on hand at the event to recognize and reward students who had created quality Irish or Irish-American History projects for the state-wide competition. Sreejani Sinha’s project was a 10 minute documentary titled:

The Troubles and the Good Friday Agreement:
A Struggle for Rights and Reconciliation

When the NJ HD judges asked Sreejani what inspired her to create this documentary, she said she was a fan of the television series: Derry Girls, a British-produced show set in Derry, Northern Ireland, in the mid-1990s. The show follows teenage Catholic school girls against the backdrop of The Troubles, the violent conflict that kept that region in a tense military state since the late 1960s. Sreejani’s 10 minute video was packed with historical information, referencing the dawn of the British invasion and their colonization, the partition of the North as separate from the Republic, and then the disenfranchisement of “Catholics” by the Ulster unionists leading up to the 30-year conflict. This 16-year-old girl did real research! The NJ HD Organizers now recognize FSOS as a serious supporter of Irish History and of the NJ HD Contest. The contest will begin anew in September with the theme: Revolution, Reaction, Reform. FSOS will be asked for a “Suggested Topics” list to prompt students with ideas to create a project with the new theme. We are looking forward to repeating our participation to demonstrate our commitment to recognize quality Irish and Irish-American History!

Next theme: Revolution, Reaction, Reform. Send us your ideas for our Suggested Topics list!