During the annual National History Day competition at the University of Maryland, 3,000 middle and high school students gathered to showcase their original historical research. They presented and defended their exhibits, papers, performances, websites, and documentaries in front of panels of judges.
The topics covered a wide range of historical events, including the Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 and Temple Grandin’s legacy, as well as issues such as human rights in Guantanamo Bay. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 was a popular topic among the students. These participants hailed from various locations, including all 50 states in the US, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, China, and South Korea. These students were selected from a pool of 600,000 local-level participants, and many of them attended the weeklong event with their parents and teachers.
National History Day, now known as NHD, has evolved into an organization that not only organizes the contest but also trains teachers. It was founded 40 years ago at Case Western Reserve University. Every year, the winner of the contest receives a full, four-year scholarship to the college in Cleveland. A 2011 evaluation of NHD found that participants experienced various positive effects, including improved performance on high-stakes tests, enhanced writing skills, and increased confidence and ability in conducting research.
Becoming Experts
Camryn Kluetmeier, a 15-year-old student, passionately spoke about her project on the creation of the National Park Service. She explained that her interest in the topic started in 5th grade when she watched a Ken Burns documentary on the National Parks. Her co-presenter, Nell Williamson-Shaffer, 15, added that their performance was based on a ranger talk, similar to those held in Yosemite. Nell portrayed the ranger, while Camryn portrayed Stephen Mather, who played a crucial role in the establishment of the National Park Service. The students conducted research for their project, including interviews with the bureau historian for the National Park Service and a visit to the Wisconsin Historical Society. Camryn’s mother, Erika Kluetmeier, expressed pride in her daughter’s expertise and interest in becoming an environmental historian.
Growing Interest
The exhibit hall was filled with elaborate tri-fold poster boards, dioramas, and props that reflected this year’s theme of "Rights and Responsibilities in History." Each display included a short paper on the research process and a bibliography that listed primary and secondary sources used. Students were allowed to prepare their exhibits and then answered questions from a panel of judges, which included K-12 teachers, university professors, historians, archivists, and writers.
Cathy Gorn, the executive director of NHD, noted that there has been an increase in participation in their programs. For example, in Florida, the number of students participating in local contests has grown from 54,000 to 61,000 over the past two years. Gorn highlighted the importance of NHD in filling the gap for history and social studies left by the emphasis on math and reading in educational policies. She also mentioned the growing participation from international schools, especially in Asia.
Exploring History
In addition to the contest, there was a display on the history of elevators.
Presented here is the victorious creation of a captivating individual documentary in the senior division titled "Rough in the Bunch: Appalachia’s Rayon Girls Fight for the Right to Strike," crafted by the talented Emma Grace Thompson from Berean Christian School located in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Accompanying this piece are striking photographs captured during the event held at the esteemed University of Maryland, beautifully shot by the skilled lens of Liana Heitin.
