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.

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.

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?

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.