Young historians from across the state gathered at the North Carolina Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Asheboro for the 2025 Tar Heel Junior Historian Association (THJHA) Annual Convention hosted by the North Carolina Museum of History.
Typically held at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, this year’s event took place at the zoo due to ongoing renovations at the museum. Featured in the fall 2024 issue of Tar Heel Junior Historian magazine, the zoo offered an exciting venue for students to explore North Carolina’s natural and cultural heritage.
“This year’s convention was unlike any other—we traded exhibit halls for habitats, and students loved it,” said Colleen MacGilvray, program coordinator for the Tar Heel Junior Historian Association. “Seeing junior historians explore the zoo with compasses, journals, and trading cards in hand was a powerful reminder that history is everywhere. Their curiosity and creativity show how the museum’s mission continues to reach learners in new and unexpected places.”
Junior historians arrived with their clubs and families, picked up field activity kits, and explored the zoo using journals, compasses, and the new “Collecting Carolina Cards” featuring North Carolina state animals. Some students, like the Polar Bear Junior Historians of Union County, even visited exhibits tied to their club names.
Authorized by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1953, THJHA is sponsored by the North Carolina Museum of History, part of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The association is a free program open to students in grades 4–12 and supported by a statewide network of clubs. Each club must have at least one adult adviser, and may be based in public, private or home schools, or in other organizations such as museums, historical societies, 4-H groups, and scouting groups.
To learn more or start a club, visit ncmuseumofhistory.org.
Student and Chapter THJHA Award Winners
Awards are given for outstanding student projects and chapters. This year’s competition consisted of a photography category. The photography competition only accepted individual entries. Groups could submit a project in the History in Action Contest.
Chapter of the Year
The 2025 Chapter of the Year goes to the Silverdale History Club, Silverdale Elementary School, Onslow County.
Rookie Chapter of the Year
The 2025 Rookie Chapter of the Year goes to the Polar Bear Junior Historians, Union Preparatory Academy at Indian Trail, Union County.
County-by-County List of Winners
Buncombe County 2025 THJHA Winners
Winner from Reynolds Mountain Christian Academy
- Ella Rose Wooton won first place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Architectural Details category.
The Reynolds Mountain Junior Historians received recognition for their History in Action project, “Cleaning Project at the Smith-McDowell House.”
Chatham County 2025 THJHA Winners
Winners from NC Homeschool Adventures
- Barnaby Shedor won third place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Commercial/Industrial Buildings category.
- Wally Shedor won first place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Monuments/Markers category.
- Heidi Young won second place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Monuments/Markers category.
Nash County 2025 THJHA Winners
Winners from Rocky Mount Academy
- Michaela Boone won third place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Institutional/Public Buildings categories.
- The RMA Junior Historians received recognition for their History in Action project, “Rocky Mount Academy Veterans Day Parade.”
Northampton County 2025 THJHA Winners
Winners from Oak and Magnolia Home School
- Micaylah Johnson won second place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Institutional/Public Buildings category.
- Damon Johnson won second place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Houses category.
Surry County 2025 THJHA Winners
Winners from Mount Airy Museum of Regional History
- Madeline Caudill won first place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Houses category.
The Jesse Franklin Pioneers received recognition for their History in Action project, “Pilot Mountain State Park Oral History.”
Union County 2025 THJHA Winners
Winner from Union Preparatory Academy at Indian Trail
- David Quintero won second place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Architectural Details category.
Wake County 2025 THJHA Winners
Winner from Underwood Magnet Elementary School
- Logan Lenkeit won first place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Institutional/Public Buildings category.
Wilson County 2025 THJHA Winners
Winners from Trabem Conservatory
- William Beam won third place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Architectural Details category.
Homeschoolers Honoring Ancestors received recognition for their History in Action project, “Restoring Odd Fellows.”
Yadkin County 2025 THJHA Winners
Winners from Forbush Middle School
- Stella Matthews won first place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Commercial/Industrial Buildings category.
- Camden Matthews won second place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Commercial/Industrial Buildings category.
- Annie Marcum won third place in the N.C. Historic Architecture Photography Contest, Monuments/Markers category.
About the N.C. Museum of History
The North Carolina Museum of History, a Smithsonian Affiliate, fosters a passion for North Carolina history. This museum collects and preserves artifacts of state history and educates the public on the history of the state and the nation through exhibits and educational programs. In 2024, more than 275,000 people visited the museum to see some of the 150,000 artifacts in the museum collection. Located in the heart of downtown Raleigh, the North Carolina Museum of History serves as the flagship historical institution of the Division of State History Museums. This division, part of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, includes seven regional history museums dedicated to preserving and interpreting the stories of North Carolina’s past.
About the Smithsonian Affiliations Network
Since 2006, the North Carolina Museum of History has been a Smithsonian Affiliate, part of a select group of museums and cultural, educational and arts organizations that share Smithsonian resources with the nation. The Smithsonian Affiliations network is a national outreach program that develops long-term collaborative partnerships with museums and other educational and cultural organizations to enrich communities with Smithsonian resources. More information is available at affiliations.si.edu.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.
The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the N.C. Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.