Frontier School's Good Vibes Cafe Showcases Student History Projects

Annual event features wax museum, documentaries, and essays highlighting student research and critical thinking skills.

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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Frontier School's fifth annual Good Vibes Cafe event on February 19th provided an opportunity for students in grades 4-8 to showcase their history projects and research. The evening featured a wax museum with students portraying historical figures, as well as demonstrations of websites, documentaries, and essays developed by the students. The event helps prepare students for National History Day competitions, where they can advance from regional to state and national levels by developing thesis-driven projects that showcase critical thinking and research abilities.

Why it matters

The Good Vibes Cafe event highlights Frontier School's commitment to promoting historical study and academic enrichment programs like National History Day. By engaging students at a young age in independent research and creative project-based learning, the school is helping to cultivate important skills like critical thinking, public speaking, and historical analysis that will benefit students throughout their education and future careers.

The details

The wax museum featured presentations by students as young as 5th grade on historical figures, helping them develop research and presentation skills. Students in grades 6-8 also worked on projects for the National History Day competition, where they will compete at the regional, state, and potentially national levels. The projects required students to develop a thesis statement and conduct independent research, culminating in websites, documentaries, and essays.

  • The Good Vibes Cafe event took place on Thursday, February 19, 2026.
  • Frontier School's National History Day students began working on their projects back in October 2025.

The players

Tina Strauser

A social studies teacher at Frontier School who explained that the wax museum and National History Day projects help students develop important research and critical thinking skills.

Kenzley Copenhaver

An 8th grade student who presented a project on "Hitler's Rise to Power" for the wax museum, taking three weeks to complete the research and presentation.

Kyn Paulson

A student who showcased a presentation on former U.S. Senator Mike Mansfield, finding it interesting that Mansfield joined the Navy at age 14 during World War I.

Mariah Lewis

A student who completed a project on "The North Star" about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, as she wanted to learn more about her culture and slavery.

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What they’re saying

“It helps them to start developing their resource skills.”

— Tina Strauser, Social Studies Teacher

“What interested me was what his motives were.”

— Kenzley Copenhaver

“Maybe.”

— Kyn Paulson

What’s next

Frontier School's National History Day students will compete at the regional meet in Dickinson, North Dakota. The top qualifiers at the regional competition will then advance to the state competition held in Bozeman, Montana. The very top students will then move on to the national event at the University of Maryland.

The takeaway

The Good Vibes Cafe event demonstrates Frontier School's commitment to providing students with engaging, hands-on opportunities to develop critical research, analysis, and presentation skills through history-focused projects. By nurturing these abilities at a young age, the school is setting students up for success in National History Day competitions and beyond, equipping them with the tools to think critically about the past and its relevance to the present.