Over 500 Students to Compete in Statewide History Contest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 12, 2010
Contact: Judy Dobbs
410-685-4185
jdobbs@mdhc.org

OVER 550 STUDENTS TO COMPETE IN STATEWIDE HISTORY CONTEST

BALTIMORE, MD. April 12, 2010. Maryland History Day, the state's largest history competition, will take place Saturday, April 24, 2010 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Directed by the Maryland Humanities Council, the competition brings together over 550 talented middle and high school students, representing 17 counties and Baltimore City.

In preparation for the Maryland History Day contest, students have spent months conducting research around the theme "Innovation in History: Impact and Change," and developing projects on a wide range of topics - from penicillin, prosthetics, and the X-ray to the steam engine, the elevator, and the telephone to the Harlem Renaissance, child labor laws, the assembly line. Students present their research in the form of exhibits, papers, documentaries, performances, and websites, and are interviewed by distinguished judges from universities, libraries, archives, historical societies, and museums.

Participants in the statewide Maryland History Day competition were selected from over 16,500 students who entered projects at school and regional contests. A select group of winners at the state competition will move on to represent Maryland at the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest, June 13 to 17, 2010 at the University of Maryland, College Park. Additional cash awards will be made in various themed categories.

Among the special guests who will attend the awards ceremony to honor Maryland History Day students and participate in the presentation of medals and prizes are Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, Maryland Senate President Mike Miller, Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick, Maryland State Senator Nathaniel J. McFadden, and Raymond Thorn of the office of Congressman Chris Van Hollen.

"Maryland History Day encourages students to develop analytical skills that prepare them for a lifetime of learning and engagement with the humanities," says Phoebe Stein Davis, the Maryland Humanities Council's executive director. "The educational impact is much broader than the competition itself; the skills students learn while working on their projects encourages them to be life-long learners."

Operated by the Maryland Humanities Council since 1999, Maryland History Day is an affiliate of National History Day, the nation's oldest and most highly regarded humanities contest for students. Maryland History Day is directly aligned with Achievement Matters Most and the Voluntary State Curriculum for Social Studies in Maryland. Maryland History Day is made possible with generous support from the Maryland State Department of Education, Columbia Gas of Maryland, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional support is provided by National History Day and the History Channel.

For more information on Maryland History Day, contact Judy Dobbs at 410-685-4185 or jdobbs@mdhc.org, or Auni Husted at ahusted@mdhc.org.

The Maryland Humanities Council is a statewide, educational, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The purpose of MHC is to stimulate and promote informed dialogue and civic engagement on issues critical to Marylanders. For more information about MHC, please visit www.mdhc.org.

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