Kyle Hocking, second from right, recipient of Maritime Naval History Award

In May, Kyle Hocking of Woodcrest Elementary School in Riverside, California, received the 2018 Maritime Naval History Award, a Special Award at National History Day California held at William Jessup University in Rocklin, California. His individual documentary project was about the 12 December 1937 attack on an American gunboat and entitled "The USS Panay Incident: The Cost of a Failed Compromise with Japan".

More information about our award winner, from Kyle’s father, Ned Hocking:

"He was so taken by a family trip to Pearl Harbor that he really enjoys Naval History, and was assisted by the Naval History and Heritage Command in DC for the Panay project. He was thrilled by this honor."

Kyle will receive the prize money and give his presentation at the 4 June 2018 luncheon of the Naval Order of the United States, San Francisco Commandery.

National History Day is a year-long educational program that encourages students to explore local, state, national, and world history. After selecting a historical topic that relates to an annual theme, students conduct extensive research by using libraries, archives, museums, and oral history interviews. They analyze and interpret their findings, draw conclusions about their topics' significance in history, and create final projects that present their work. These projects can be entered into a series of competitions, from the local to the national level, where they are evaluated by historians and educators.

Naval Maritime History Award is sponsored by Naval Order of the United States. Entry focuses on maritime history.