Watching my older son fail at the Maryland History Day competition on Saturday was one of the toughest things I’ve done as a parent.  He had paced through the hours between his presentation to the judges and announcement of the awards.  At the awards ceremony, his face was pale.  He clenched and unclenched his hands and jaw, and stared intently at the emcees while other awards were announced. When his name wasn’t called for either the first or second place in his category, his posture sagged and I could see that he was working hard to keep his emotions under control.  When we left the Retriever Athletic Center at UMBC, he stormed off ahead of me.  An hour later, I had never been prouder of him, even though he had failed to accomplish an important goal.

My son blundered into the National History Day competition by accident in sixth grade.  All we knew was that it was a compulsory school project that would be a big part of his grade.  He was dragging his feet on picking a topic the afternoon before it was due.

“What do you want to do the project on?” I asked him in exasperation.
He picked up a rubber chicken toy.  “Something with chickens,” he said.
“Fine,” I said.  “Let’s go to the Internet and look up chicken history.  Let’s have some fun with this.”

He found a book on the development of large-scale chicken farming on the Delmarva Peninsula.  He visited an agricultural museum in Delaware and a poultry farm on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  He designed an exhibit board shaped like a chicken, and used some basic model railroad construction techniques to build a diorama.  I was surprised when he received an award for the project at his school.  Astounded when the project won cash prizes at the county and state competitions.  Charmed when I watched him run around the University of Maryland campus to trade state buttons with competitors from all over the United States and beyond.  Thrilled when I saw the impact of success in the History Day competition on his self-esteem.  He was thinking of himself as a success.  A winner.

Through two more years of History Day projects, both of which advanced to the national level of competition, I watched him grow academically and personally.  He chose more complex topics each year.  He tackled college-level source material, and his research and writing skills improved.  His analysis of challenging data became better.  He gained confidence by interviewing people for the projects.  He learned to use a hot-glue gun.  He began to meet interim deadlines with less urging (okay, less screaming) on my part.  Even his math grades came up, because succeeding at History Day convinced him that he was a good student and could master challenging material.  In eighth grade, even though he wants a career in science or medicine, he chose the History Day competition over the Science Fair when the deadlines were too close together for him to participate in both.  He finally won an award at nationals that year – “Best Entry from the State of Maryland.”

Freshman year is the last in which participation in History Day is mandatory for some students at my son’s high school.  I was glad that he would complete one final project.  Competing and succeeding in History Day had become a part of his identity as a student; success in the competition would help keep his self-esteem up during the transition to high school; and the extra work would help to prepare him for the greater workload in future AP classes.

“This is my last year,” he insisted.  “I’ll have too much homework next year.”

I thought he might be right:  he had put in more than a hundred hours on each of his first three History Day projects.  Like most fourteen-year-old boys, my son disdained parental input and advice.  I watched him forget or ignore most of what he had learned in the first three years of competition.  He created a very good project – but it was not up to the standard of the previous three.  I told myself over and over: This is his project.  He’s growing up; I won’t be around to offer advice and suggestions forever.  Sooner or later, he has to succeed or to fail on his own.  And on April 27th, at the 2013 Maryland History Day, his project did not advance to the national level of the competition.

“What did I do wrong?” he asked me on the way home.
“What do you think you did wrong?” I asked.

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For the next half-hour, he evaluated his own work.  He spent too much time on Xbox and TV, he said.  He used low-hanging fruit for source material, and was satisfied with it.  He had lacked the confidence to request an interview with someone who won a Nobel Prize.  He could have done a dynamic diorama instead of a static display.  He could have taken the advice of his seventh-grade social studies teacher, and made the project interactive.  He knew that standards in the senior division would be higher, and that he would be competing against upperclassmen, but he hadn’t made enough extra effort.

“I treated it like a junior division project,” he said.  “And I thought that because I went to nationals for three years in a row, I would automatically go again this year.  I was overconfident.”
“This probably isn’t the right day for me to tell you that sometimes you learn more from failing than you do from winning,” I said a few minutes later.
“No!” he replied.  “Absolutely this is not the right day for that!”

So instead, I told him about working at the U. S. Embassy in Moscow for an army colonel who had been selected for the rank of brigadier general, but whose promotion had been delayed for political reasons.

“What’s going to happen if your promotion never comes?” someone asked soon after his arrival.
“Sooner or later,” the colonel said, “the wheels fall off the wagon for everyone.  You have to have something to go to when that happens.  It doesn’t matter if I retire as a colonel, or as a general.  I have a life beyond the Army, and when I’m no longer serving I’m going to live that life.”

“It sounds like the wheels fell off your History Day wagon today,” I said.  “What are you going to do next?”
“I’m not sure,” he said.

“The way I see it,” I told him, “you have two choices.  You can put all this behind you and focus on your homework next year.  Or you can choose to put the wheels back on the wagon and head up the hill again.  You can do a project next year, even though it’s not mandatory.  You can learn from your mistakes, put in the work you’re capable of doing, and take another shot at the national competition.  But you don’t have to.  You’re growing up, and you can make more choices for yourself.  This is one of them.”

He was very quiet for a few minutes.
“What’s the theme for next year?” he asked.  He started to brainstorm some ideas for a project, a title, a diorama. He sat up straighter, and his eyes started to sparkle.
“I’m glad my project didn’t advance to nationals this year,” he said.
“You are?  Why?”
“Well, if I’d gone to nationals, this would probably have been the last year I participated in History Day.  But since I didn’t make it to nationals, I’m going to do it again. I’m not going to make the same mistakes next time.  I’m going to do a better job.  And I’m glad I’m going to do it again.”

My son may or may not do a History Day project next year, but as of today, the competition is part of his game plan for 2014.I would have been proud of him if his History Day project had advanced to the national competition this year.  But I’m more proud of what he accomplished when he failed to go.

The History Day competition doesn’t just teach social studies content, analytical skills, and presentation.  It’s more than an opportunity for a student to succeed. It can teach life skills, like how to handle failure – and how to recover.

Sincerely,
      Jerri Bell, History Day Parent

Do you have a similar story to share?  Please leave a response below or on MHC’s Facebook Fan Page.  Our thanks to our History Day parent and her son for sharing their very personal reflections after the 2013 Maryland History Day competition. The 2013 History Day State Contest results will be posted here tomorrow. To learn how you can support MHC programs for students, click here. Want to discover more?  Read the September 2011 NY Times Magazine Education Article “What if the Secret to Success is Failure” by Paul Tough.

On Monday, January 28, nine students and two teachers were honored at the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis for their accomplishments at National History Day 2012. These outstanding middle and high school students from across the state, as well as Teachers of the Year Curtis George of Matapeake Middle School in Queen Anne’s County and Michele Bingham of La Plata High School in Charles County, received resolutions in the House of Delegates and in the Senate.

Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, Jr.—a longtime History Day supporter—spoke to the group as they were honored in the Senate; Delegate David Rudolph and House Speaker Michael Busch addressed them in the House of Delegates. The group also met with Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown prior to the session, and some students had the opportunity to interact with their individual elected officials. The Maryland Humanities Council is proud to coordinate this annual tradition in the State House. (Pictured L to R: Delegate David Rudolph, History Day students, teacher Curtis George from Queen Anne’s County, House Speaker Michael Busch, and MHC Executive Director Phoebe Stein Davis.)

Ethan (left) with a WWII Veteran. Photo courtesy of the National WWII Museum.

Ethan McComb of Calvert County was one of the nine students celebrated in Annapolis. Ethan’s Junior Individual Exhibit at National History Day 2012 focused on civil rights during WWII. He won the Salute to Freedom prize, which took him to New Orleans in January. He represented Maryland at the grand opening of the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center at the National World War II Museum, along with middle and high school students from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each of the students researched ways their state contributed to the war effort, and their work is now published on the Salute to Freedom website.

• Click here to access Ethan’s Salute to Freedom page about the U.S. Naval Academy.

After his trip to New Orleans, Ethan said, “The museum was a captivating and informative display of the events and people of World War II.  During the opening ceremony at the U.S. Freedom Pavilion, I had the honor of escorting a World War II veteran to his seat.  After the ceremony, I continued to talk to the veteran I escorted, as well as others and heard their stories and lessons from the war.  I also had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Roscoe Brown, a Tuskegee airman who was part of my NHD project.  The experience taught me a great deal about World War II and the men that fought in it.  I am extremely grateful for this opportunity; it is one I will never forget.”

The 2013 Maryland History Day State Contest will take place on April 27 at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. If you are interested in volunteering as a Maryland History Day Judge, click here to learn more.

Thank you to Sara Romeyn, Ph.D., who allowed MHC to reprint her most recent blog post.  Ms. Romeyn is a teacher at Bullis School in Montgomery County.  You can read more of Sara’s posts at her site, Romeynwindow.

This Saturday, I will take 15 high school juniors to University of Maryland, Baltimore County for the state level competition of National History Day.  This is the third year Bullis has had students make it to states, and while the novelty has worn off a bit I am as excited and nervous as I was in 2010, when we began participating in NHD.

At the start, I was a little reluctant to integrate NHD into our 11th grade US History curriculum.  I especially worried that there wasn’t time in my AP classes for a major research project.  My colleague, Lisa, sold me on the potential benefits and we have had a program ever since.  With a little bit of creative scheduling (students covered much of Colonial America as part of a summer assignment, and I now make podcasts of lectures that students can view at home), we’ve managed to prepare fully for the AP exam AND engage deeply in research.  The students are better for it, and I am a better teacher.

So, what is NHD?  Briefly, it is a nationwide competition where students conduct research related to an annual theme, and present their findings in the form of a website, documentary, paper, performance, or exhibit.  Visit www.nhd.org for all the details and rules.

Our first year out, we had students craft websites related to the 2010 theme, “Innovation in History.”  I was thrilled when two of my students made it to the state competition,  Catherine for her website on the Brooklyn Bridge and Kamar for his work on the Brownie Camera. I was ecstatic when Catharine made it to Nationals.  I was awestruck when she won a $5,000 prize from the History Channel for best entry on a historic site!  And I was hooked.  Watch Catherine winning the History Channel Prize on YouTube.

Kamar, Sara, and Catherine

In 2011, the theme was “Diplomacy and Debate,” and Lisa and I began to fine tune the process.  Students began by exploring topics and conducting secondary research.  They drafted thesis statements and outlines.  They dug deep into primary documents.  They interviewed professors.  And they revised, revised again, and revised some more.  We expanded the choice of formats and sent nine students to states in the websites and performance categories.  Of those, five continued to Nationals and two won major prizes:  Kane was a finalist for his website on the Iran Hostage Crisis  and Cami won a college scholarship for her work on the Bay of Pigs Invasion . They were recently recognized by the Maryland State Legislature for their accomplishments.

Cami receives an award at the State Senate

This year, we pulled out all the stops.  The buzz about the program is growing, and students began brainstorming in the fall.  Every junior taking US History selected a topic relating to the theme “Revolution, Reaction, and Reform.”  We had an awesome Bullis History Night where our students displayed their projects for family, friends, teachers, and other classmates. View our History Night video on YouTube.
We pushed our students intellectually, asking them to dig a little deeper, provide additional evidence, and strengthen their arguments.   After selecting the top students to compete at the county level, we have 15 students heading to states…with representation in all categories, including documentaries, exhibits, and a research paper.
I don’t know what the outcome will be on Saturday–hopefully a few students will have the opportunity to continue on.  Regardless, the true victory has been in the process.  We’ve nurtured scholars who have gained ownership over a historical topic and are proud to share their work.  We’ve highlighted academic success and created a culture at our school where top history scholars are honored and celebrated.

Why NHD? Why NOT?

Each year, thousands of students statewide work diligently with their dedicated social studies teachers on projects for the Maryland History Day Competition. Often we hear from students, parents, and teachers, about the positive effect History Day has in the classroom and in student’s lives, teaching them important skills needed later in life and fostering discipline and critical thinking skills. As a result, many kids get a boost of self-confidence by completing a long-term, challenging task.

On March 26^th, we received this lovely thank you note from RaeLynne Snyder, a teacher at Patterson Park Public Charter School, who was recognized with the Central District History Day Teacher of the Year Award. We think her account easily demonstrates the power of History Day.

Thank you, RaeLynne, for allowing us to share your letter of thanks. Do you have a History Day story to share?  Please share your thoughts by commenting below, or send us an email at info@mdhc.org.  We’d love to hear from you.

Hello All-

I just wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation for all that you do to make History Day happen.  I want to share with you how much this competition has meant for me and my students.

It all started for these current eighth graders at the end of the 2011 school year. I sent home with their final report cards an invitation to the 2012 History Day competition. They received the theme and were asked to think about a topic they might be interested in for the fall.

When the students returned in September we walked over to the southeast anchor branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library system. They received a tour and database training by the youth librarian. The students learned how to look up books that pertained to their topics. Some topics were eliminated very quickly when the students saw how few books were available.  Some students found many books and hurriedly rushed out into the library holding the paper where they had scribbled down the name of the books that they were looking to find. They found out very quickly that it was actually that strange group of numbers that was going to be their ticket to success in the library. They came away from that day knowing how to go to the shelves and find a book using the system created by the Library of Congress.

Eventually it was our time to make it down to the main branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. We had a tour and a training in the Periodical section. This was a hard day for the kids. How were these huge, dusty, green books (The Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature) going to be of any help to them? The print was small, they had to decipher strange abbreviations and they were forced to rely on the librarian to be able to find the material for them.  I came away from this day disheartened, until I found out later that a group had become quite obsessed with the Periodical department and had asked their parents to take them back there several times since our training.

It was the second trip back to the main branch where I really saw the difference in my students.  They had used the EPFL database from my classroom to look up books on their topics, so when we went to the library they already knew what they were looking to find in the shelves. The librarians were ready for us and we were ready for them. The students were set free, lists in hand to find the books they had looked up before coming. We took over the second floor, my class, all sitting peacefully, surround by dozens of books. They were combing through them, deciding which ones to keep and which ones to leave. The librarians were astonished. These are eighth graders? We were told that we were invited back anytime. Everybody felt accomplished that day, teachers, students and librarians. Every group came away with a stack of books.

A few days later the language arts teacher stops me in the hallway- “I just wanted you to know that during silent reading today- Jason was reading a book on Joseph McCarthy- I assume that has something to do with you.”

There were so many amazing moments along the way. Brandi contacted a professor from Georgetown University, on her own, and the professor agreed to meet her at our school for an interview.  Brandi conducted the interview and used it in her paper. Brandi now knows how to contact people in a professional manner, has conducted an important interview, has learned how to cite and use that interview in a paper. Does it get any better than that?

In a time when social studies instruction is being marginalized and treated like it is an unworthy child in the education system- it is very validating to see how much the children learn from this History Day process.  I not only know how important social studies instruction is, I can prove it. I have thirty children who have completed projects that rival anything that they have done in their middle school career. And, yes, they did it with their social studies teacher. Marquel stopped me on the way out of class one day. He said “Ms. Snyder, this project has been a pain in the butt, but man did I learn a lot.” And Brandi said on the day of the competition “Ms. Snyder, I had no idea how much fun today was going to be. This whole experience has been totally epic.”

I agree Brandi. I agree.

I feel I would be remiss if I did not mention my award before I go. I cannot possibly articulate how much it meant to be recognized in front of my students and my peers.  Thank you so much. It is deeply, deeply appreciated.

Sincerely,

RaeLynne Snyder
Middle School Social Studies
Patterson Park Public Charter School

My student won at the county level and is advancing to the state contest – what do I do now?

The Maryland History Day staff is often asked this question.  Review our five tips below about how to help your student improve his or her project before the state competition.

As a teacher or mentor for History Day, your involvement with your student doesn’t have to stop.  Your student needs your guidance and assistance to improve their project at each stage in the competition.

Take advantage of electronic review. Let your students know that they can take advantage of the electronic review process offered by John Willard, Maryland History Day’s Outreach Coordinator, by sending an electronic copy of the project to jwillard@mdhc.org along with the process paper and bibliography.  John and his team of UMBC students will review projects as quickly as possible and give extensive critical comments on a first-come, first-served basis.  We cannot guarantee, however, that every submission will be reviewed.

Comments are there for a reason. You and your student should go over the judges’ comments from the district contest to find helpful feedback.  Focus on those things that need improvement, but also expand on what worked well. You and your student should review the rule book carefully to make sure that the project complies with all the rules – word limit, time limit, and required materials such as annotated bibliography, process paper.

Resources reflect research. Help your student find more and better resources by going to institutions such as historical societies, archives, museums; talking with experts; contacting people who lived the history; or by finding more print resources.  Take some of the good secondary resources and convert them to primary sources by hunting down original citations.  Connect your student with a librarian who can help with conducting an academic database search that can reinforce and build a greater understanding of the student’s topic.

Questions make the answer. Make sure that your student’s project has sufficient narrative qualities (Who? What? Where? When?), but more importantly, make sure your student analyzes and interprets the history (How? Why? Significance? Impact? Relevance to today?). The student’s final product should include this analysis, and they should be able to demonstrate it when being interviewed by the judges. TIP:  If your student is nervous about talking to the judges, have them hold a mock interview with another teacher in the school.

Be Prepared!  Make sure your student is prepared on the day of the contest: bring extra copies of the process paper and bibliography; bring a laptop, if available, for the documentary and website categories; have extra copies of the DVD on hand for the documentary category; pack extension cords (for exhibits if they require power), etc.

Judges will use the following criteria in evaluating projects:

• Historical quality (60%).  Project includes a good annotated bibliography, showing wide research; evidence of analysis and interpretation rather than just descriptive narrative; balanced presentation, showing both sides of an issue; understanding of historical context; historical accuracy.
• Relation to theme (20%).  Project shows evidence of topic’s significance in history and clear relation to the “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History” theme (can be one or all three parts of the theme).
• Clarity of presentation (20%).  Project is clear, grammatically correct, accurately spelled; well organized; original and creative.

Best wishes for a successful competition!  If you are a teacher, student, or parent that would like to share your tips and suggestions for History Day, please share them here! We’d love to hear your comments.

Eight exceptional student scholars and two dedicated teachers will receive commendations tonight during Maryland Senate and House of Delegates sessions in Annapolis for receiving national honors at the National History Day competition.

History Day students receiving their awards.

Sure, students achieve in all sorts of areas, from sports, to science fairs, and the arts, but what is it about success at a History Day competition that is worthy of such recognition?

What sets this competition apart from other types of student achievement? Because when students study history, they learn what it means to be human, and their immersion into the lessons of the past builds an informed citizenry, cultural understanding, and fulfills a need for shared identity. History isn’t just a review of our legacy.  It molds our future.

The writer Sam Ewing said “Hard work spotlights the character of people:  some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.” It isn’t often that a singular school project requires students to tap into their creativity, delve into primary source research and develop a project over the course of a school year. They pick a topic based upon a broad annual topic, and can choose to work in groups or individually.  Projects can be in the form of a website, historical exhibit, interpretive research paper, dramatic performance, or multi-media documentary.  Because students are empowered to explore topics of interest to them in a modality of their choosing, Maryland History Day provides an active learning experience that will stick with these kids for a lifetime.  Math and science teach important skills, but history also connects us with our humanity during a technologically driven, instant message, 140-character world.

Last year National History Day (NHD) released the findings of an independent study that showed that this competition  teaches critical thinking, writing, research skills and boosts performance across all subjects, that NHD students perform better on standardized tests, and that the contest prepares students for college, career, and citizenship You can read the key findings of the report or a summary on our site.

Watch this short video from NHD about their findings: History Day: It’s More than Just a Day…It’s an Experience.

On behalf of MHC, congratulations to these young scholars!  To view a list of the students and teachers traveling to Annapolis today, visit the MHD News page.  Look to MHC’s History Day Facebook page and our MHC Fan page for pictures from today’s activities.

Recently our History Day program assistant, Auni Husted, interviewed Amie Sanner of Calvert High School in Calvert County about her History Day experience. Ms. Sanner was honored with the 2011 Patricia Behring High School History Day Teacher of the Year award.

[Auni] What classes and grades do you teach?

[Amie] I have 9th, 10th, and 12th graders in Honors World History, United States History, and AP World History. I am actually teaching a pilot 9th grade AP World History class this year too, and it is going great!

How many years have you participated in History Day?

I have participated for 5 years.

How many of your students are participating in History Day this year?

All of my students complete History Day projects, which comes out to about 150 students.

How do you use History Day in your classroom? Is it a required assignment for all of your students, for just a certain class, or an option for one or more individual students who express interest?

For my underclassmen (Honors World History and United States History) they get the freedom to choose which way they would like to present their History Day project, but they all must complete a project. They also get the freedom to choose their topics (as long as they fit it into the theme). For my AP World History students they must complete the research paper (since these are skills I would like them to focus on in a rigorous college level class) and it can be on a topic of their choice, as long as it fits into the NHD theme. I also encourage other students in the school, whose teacher doesn’t participate in History Day, to complete the project. I have after school help sessions for any student that needs extra help, or wants to dig deeper into reasearch.

Do your students receive a grade for their History Day projects?  Extra credit?

All of my students receive multiple grades for completing their History Day project. I start with smaller “process” grades (such as collecting sources, correct annotations, creating a thesis statement, etc.) over the entire period of the project. At the end when the final project is due I grade them on a “product” grade. This grade is broken up into multiple parts on a rubric (follows NHD guidelines, connects to the NHD theme, overall appearance, creativity/originality, good use of primary sources, etc.).

Do you make classroom time available for History Day work?  Do you provide after school sessions?

History Fair is a 6 month long project in my class. I use about 3-5 days a month in the media center working on computers with students on various things (introducing and researching the theme, finding topics, looking for primary and secondary sources, creating the process paper and annotated bibliography,etc.). I also provide 2 Thursdays every month from September to February for after school help sessions (which I open up for any student in the school working on History Fair), and then in February I open up my classroom after school for a week for students to work on constructing and creating their projects (exhibits mostly). I have a lot of lower-income students who need to have supplies provided for them to complete the project, so I call them “Martha Stewart” days, when they get to use everything in my classroom (backboards, hot glue gun, computer and printer for pictures, construction paper, markers, decorations, etc.), and they create their project.

How much class time to you devote to History Day (per week and/or throughout the year)?

As a class we work on History Day every month from September through February. We spend between 3-5 days a month in the media center, but we spend time in class too working out the kinks in things too.

Personally, I spend a lot more of my time working on History Day than I like to admit. J I use Noodletools with my students to interact with their Annotated Bibliography, and it helps me to communicate with them about poor sources or weak annotations. This is one of my favorite things about technology, I can work on their projects when I’m in my PJs at home, and they get the feedback immediately.

I am Calvert High School’s History Fair Coordinator, so I spend a good portion of my time working with other social studies teachers on their projects with students too. I try to come up with newer and better ways to have our school’s History Fair, and more efficient ways to have other teachers feel comfortable working with their students on completing a History Fair project.

Do you partner with teachers in other disciplines or bring in outside resource people (such as archivists, local museum professionals, etc.)?

I have reached out to our English department to help work on Historical Papers, and our school’s theater department to help with Performances and Documentaries. We have two wonderful Media Specialists also who help our History Day students every step of the way. We are also fortunate enough to have the local D.C. museums within driving distance, so field trips to places like the Holocaust Museum provide students with other resources they can use for their projects as well.

Are there History Day research field trips?

I wish. Our funding is very tight. I have to provide my own resources and materials for my after school help sessions.

How do you involve parents in the process (e.g., evening introductory session, regular updates, showcase projects for families and the community)?

Throughout the process of completing History Fair we have numerous things for parents and students. Our school’s Media Specialist has History Day as the welcome page to our Media Center’s website (http://chsmedia.blogspot.com/), and it is also on our school’s website. I also personally send out emails to parents with my History Fair resource packet and helpful places for them to research. We also have a History Fair showcase in the school’s auditorium and a website gallery in the media center during History Fair.

Spotlight on Ethan McComb, NHD Gold Medalist

Maryland’s first ever National History Day (NHD) gold medal winner answered a few questions about his experiences with the History Day program. McComb, who starts eighth grade at Plum Point Middle School in Calvert County this fall, competed in the junior individual exhibit category at the national level when he was in both sixth and seventh grades.

1. How did you pick your topic?  What did you know about the Marshall Plan before you started your research for History Day?

I chose my topic by analyzing the theme and then finding a topic that not only fit the theme, but was a researchable topic and one I would enjoy exploring. Before I started this research, my knowledge on the Marshall Plan was limited, but this research vastly increased my knowledge to a point of being able to create an in-depth project such as my History Day exhibit.

2. How much time did you spend working on your project each week or overall? How did you balance your project with your other schoolwork and extra curricular activities?

Throughout the entire process I have spent over a hundred hours working on and perfecting my project. I always kept in mind that school came first and if that meant having to go shoot baskets in the dark then so be it. I made sure to do my homework and my History Day project before sports, but on some nights you don’t have enough time, so I just did more work the next night.

3. What skills did you learn from your History Day experience that you may use in other courses or activities (in the future or today)?

I learned to be a better researcher and a better writer. These skills helped me excel as a student and will benefit me in whatever job field I choose to enter.

4. What were some of the most rewarding parts of your History Day experience (besides winning a gold medal)? What was exciting about the competitions themselves (e.g., seeing other projects, camaraderie with other students, talking to judges)?

The most rewarding part of History Day is the historical knowledge you gain and meeting all the other contestants. This allows you to get a better understanding of how other students think and how they choose to go about completing a History Day project. I also enjoy seeing the other exhibits that I was competing against and learning about those topics.

5. What was the most challenging part of History Day?

The most challenging part of History Day is staying dedicated and continuing to improve on your project, but if you do you will see yourself move on further and further in the competition.

6. What did you do to improve your project between each competition?

Between each competition I improved my project by continuing to do research and adding additional things to my project. For example, between states and Nationals, I conducted research at the National Archives. This research greatly improved my project by giving me primary source documents and real telegrams about the Marshall Plan which I used in my project.

7. What sources were the most important for your project, and where did you find them?

The sources that were most important for my project were the George C. Marshall Foundation and doing actual research at the National Archives.

8. What suggestions do you have for other History Day students?

Pick a topic you will enjoy doing and stay dedicated. Remember the reward of knowledge and understanding is well worth the price.

9. In what ways do you think History Day changed or impacted your life?

History Day changed the way I research and how I manage a large project. The History Fair has only impacted my life and my learning experience for the better.

10. Do you want to study history in the future—at college or perhaps as a career?

History has always been my passion and I truly love it. I haven’t decided what I want to be when I am older, but I am sure that history will in some way be involved with my life.

Photo: Classic Photography, courtesy of NHD

Ethan McComb with NEH Chairman Jim Leach at National History Day 2011.

Written by Auni Husted, MHC Program Assistant

Each year over 600,000 middle and high school students in all 50 United States—as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, and the Department of Defense and international schools abroad—participate in the National History Day (NHD). Maryland students represent about 3% of this total, with 18,000 students across the Old Line state taking part each year. NHD is the nation’s oldest and most highly regarded humanities contest for students. The organization, which is headquartered at the University of Maryland, College Park, has for the first time demonstrated the impact of this yearlong history research program with the national evaluation.

NHD recently released the findings of a study conducted by the independent research firm Rockman, et al. The study took place at four sites in the country (Texas, New Jersey, South Carolina and Colorado) with a sample size of 458 individuals—274 students who participated in NHD and 184 of their peers who did not. The research team examined performance on standardized tests (on social studies as well as other subjects), performance assessments, and asked students to rate their confidence in these skills and interest in past/current events. Key findings of the study, as reported in the Executive Summary, are below:

· NHD students outperform their non-NHD peers on state standardized tests, not only in social studies, but in reading, science and math as well.

· NHD students are better writers, who write with a purpose and real voice, and marshal solid evidence to support their point of view.

· NHD students are critical thinkers who can digest, analyze and synthesize information.

· NHD students learn 21st century skills. They learn how to collaborate with team members, talk to experts, manage their time and persevere.

· NHD has a positive impact among students whose interests in academic subjects may wane in high school.

NHD Executive Director Cathy Gorn said of the evaluation findings, “This research confirms what those of us who work with National History Day students have seen anecdotally for years. This program not only helps students improve academically, it can also change their lives. Students who are ‘slipping through the cracks’ of our education system find their way back and get on track to succeed in school while participating in NHD.”

For more information about the impact study, go to the NHD Works website for the key findings, executive summary, and full report.

We are just six short months away from Maryland History Day 2011, which will take place on Saturday, April 30 at UMBC. We have just completed a thorough update of our Web site and urge all History Day fans out there to take a look. (more…)