When Richmond Middle School history teacher Samuel Torbett looked around his classroom last year, he saw a problem – and an opportunity. “I didn’t have a setting where I could engage with them,” said Torbett. “You’re just ready to teach a normal eighth-grade history class. You don’t have anything set for an advanced class.” Some students were performing well above grade level and the standard curriculum wasn’t keeping them engaged. So this year, Torbett launched a new advanced history class designed to challenge motivated eighth graders with college- level work, primary source analysis and hands-on projects – including Richmond’s first-ever participation in National History Day (NHD). NHD is a nationwide academic competition that gives middle and high school students a platform to conduct original research on historical topics and present their findings in a creative format. Each year more than half a million students take part in local, regional, state and national rounds. The…