Helen Miller and her coach Barb Allen

Park Hill seventh-grader Helen Miller has qualified to compete in the National History Day national finals with her project entitled “Conflict and Compromise on the 38th Parallel.” The competition will be held June 10-14 at the Univ. of Maryland.

Miller’s performance piece on the Korean War carried her through regional and state competitions. At state, she took second place and won an award for the best project related to veterans/military. Her work began as a school project at McAuliffe International School for their History Day program. Through her research, she developed the stories of a newsboy/narrator, a Korean girl, a Korean father and an American soldier, each of whom shares a different perspective on the war.

“It just seemed like a fun thing to do and I really wanted to try it,” said Miller, who worked largely on her own, surprising her parents with the polished piece she presented at the city competition. “We are enormously proud and mostly just amazed because she did this all on her own at school,” said her mother, Michelle Miller.

Now Helen Miller is working with veteran Denver School of the Arts teacher, Barb Allen, to dig deeper into sources and further refine her performance. Supporters are raising funds for Allen to travel to College Park to be with Miller at the national competition. Support them here at gofundme.com/ermau-national-history-day-nationals.