BOWDOIN —  After months of intensive research and success at the state-level competition, Aaron Dustin and Adam Dustin, home-schooled brothers from Bowdoin, presented their project at the annual Kenneth E. Behring National History Day contest, held at the University of Maryland College Park Campus from June 9-13.

The boys are the sons of Richard and Stephanie Dustin. Rick Dustin is the music teacher at Yarmouth High School and Stephanie Dustin home-schools her three children.

“We were grateful for the opportunity to travel to D.C. for National History Day,” stated Aaron Dustin.

Aaron Dustin, grade 8, and Adam Dustin, grade 6, ranked 12th in the country for their exhibit. They also brought home medals and a prize when their project was selected by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for the“Outstanding Colonial Era/Revolutionary War Project” award.

For their winning presentation, Aaron and Adam created a museum like exhibit, titled Benjamin Franklin: God’s Wrath, the Kite Experiment, and the Lightning Rod. The exhibit included a diorama of Franklin’s kite experiment, a scientific outline of the experiments which led to the invention of the lighting rod, and analysis as to why this invention was a turning point in history.

Each fall over half a million students nationwide begin the year-long National History Day program, competing in regional and statewide history contests. Maine’s statewide competition was held on April 4 at the Holocaust and Human Rights Center and the Katz Library at the University of Maine campus in Augusta. Twenty-six schools, and 246 students participated.

Maine had three entries in the NHD finals this year: Aaron and Adam Dustin; Eleanor Mallett from Noble Middle School in Berwick, placing 12th in the Junior Individual Performance category; and Will Ellis and Hunter White from Hartford-Sumner Elementary School, placing 7th in the Junior Group Documentary category.

For information about next year’s contest National Contest visit the website http://www.nhd.org/. For information on Maine History Day visit http://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/historyday/.