On Saturday, March 21, sophomores Kalyan Holland and Brendan Terrone moved on to the state finals in the National History Day competition against teams from across Northern NJ. Their entry, “The Mount Laurel Doctrine: Revolutionizing Housing in New Jersey,” highlights the impact and opinions surrounding the New Jersey Supreme Court’s landmark 1975 ruling on affordable housing.
The competition involved creating a tri-fold presentation display, a written essay, and answering live questions from a panel of judges. The state finals will take place on May 2, and if they advance, Kalyan and Brendan will travel to the University of Maryland in mid-June for the national finals.
National History Day is a nonprofit organization that encourages students to study the past to better understand the present and shape the future. Over 500,000 students from all 50 states and many other countries participate each year by researching and reporting on a different theme. The theme for 2026 is “Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History.”
This article appeared in the March/April 2026 issue of Fidelitas: The Alumni Newsletter of Oratory Prep. To read the latest issue, visit www.oratoryprep.org/fidelitas.