Students gear up for history day

This year’s theme is The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies, and students are asked to examine how their subject shaped the course of history.

More than half a million students in grades 6-12, including 2,500 from Missouri, are expected to enter this year’s competition. Whether they live in rural or urban areas and attend private or public schools, students will apply the skills of a historian to research the projects they hope will take
them all the way to the National History Day (NHD) final competition held each June in College Park, Md.

Students may enter the competition in one of five categories: exhibit, historical performance, documentary film, research paper, or Web site. They may enter as individuals or as members of a group. Teachers may work with students on their topic and provide them with guidelines for the
competition. Dr. Gary R. Kremer, executive director of The State Historical Society of Missouri, urges students to seek out Missouri topics. "This is a wonderful opportunity for students to connect with local, regional, or statewide historical organizations and engage in research on historical
Missouri figures."

Since 1974, National History Day has grown from a local competition of about 100 students in Cleveland, Ohio, to a national academic program that engages 2 million people annually. National History Day in Missouri (NHDMO) is sponsored by The State Historical Society of Missouri and the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia, University of Missouri.

The NHD program is sponsored by The History Channel, Jostens, ABC-CLIO, and others. Over $150,000 in scholarships will be awarded to top national winners, including a full tuition scholarship to Case Western Reserve University. Students and teachers can learn more about the NHDMO contest by contacting State Coordinator Deborah Luchenbill at 573-882-0189 or
[email protected].