Junior Sena Knopf Garners Topic of Merit Award

Sena Knopf took her time choosing a topic to research for a National History Day project. The Huntington High School junior gave the matter the time it deserved before deciding to enter the Individual Website category and create a project titled “MTV: A Revolution in Music History.”

Ms. Knopf’s project earned third place in the Individual Website category and captured the Junior Topic of Merit Award.

“When I first heard [about] this year’s theme, ‘Revolution Reaction Reform,’ I struggled to pick a topic that was strongly aligned with all three components,” Ms. Knopf said. “I knew I wanted my project to focus on a movement or development in pop culture. I originally thought of the development of EDM (electronic dance music) and clubbing culture, and how it led to widespread drug abuse. This idea felt too unofficial, and I could not find as much information as I desired for this topic. I continued my research and learned about the rise of the Music Television era and its impact on pop culture worldwide. My involvement in music and the arts strengthened my interest in this topic, and I decided to center my project on the MTV Revolution.”

The teenager is an exceptionally strong student academically. Her weighted grade average in the recent second marking period exceeded 105.

“I dove into my research starting with the context of the time period, the mid 1900s,” Ms. Knopf said. “With the Cold War going on during this time, I quickly learned that MTV was used as a communication tool alongside entertainment. I then looked into who was involved and came across founders, including Tom Freston and Robert Pittman. Using sources such as the New York Times and other news articles from the 1980s, I was able to come across the different public effects of the launch of MTV. These articles provided reactions and events happening within the Music Industry, including reforms that were taking place. I decided a website was the best way to present my information. I was comfortable with the website formatting and mechanics from experience with previous projects. Being able to include pictures and customized graphics, along with the high word count, was also beneficial for conveying my thoughts and research.”

Ms. Knopf has won All-League honors with the Blue Devil varsity swimming team. She has interned with NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies and the Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition. The junior is a member of Huntington’s Science Olympiad team, earned Bronze and Silver Awards with the Girl Scouts and studies in Columbia University’s Science Honors Program for high school students. She’s also been a physics lab assistant at the high school.

“The MTV revolution aligns perfectly with this year’s National History Day theme,” Ms. Knopf said. “The development of Music Television led to a revolution in the music industry, emphasizing both sound and visuals, which in turn sparked backlash and criticism from the public. Such reactions led to reforms in representation, cultural unity, and more. Also, without MTV, we would not have the stars we know and love, including Madonna and Michael Jackson. Music Television set the foundation for popular platforms like YouTube, which we use to watch and listen to artists today.”

In addition to English, Ms. Knopf is can speak German, Korean and Spanish. She’s one of Huntington’s Class of 2027 superstars.

“The Music Television revolution resonates with me because it highlights how we use music arts to express ourselves and showcase our identity,” Ms. Knopf said. “I grew up watching music videos on YouTube, and when my parents would show me MTV videos, I was in awe. I found it eye-opening to research how it all came to be. From playing instruments to writing my own songs, music has been special to me my entire life. The MTV revolution is not only about flashy music videos and fashion trends, but also about bringing together a youth culture and bonding over a shared love of music and the arts.”