March 11, 2008
National History Day
Saturday, April 5 between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Tilton Hall, Higgins University Center and in Jonas Clark and Atwood Halls.
After competing in five regional districts, Massachusetts students will compete in the state finals of Massachusetts History Day.
Massachusetts History Day is the state program for National History Day. It is also the major student outreach program for the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies. The National Theme for this program in 2008 is "Conflict and Compromise in History." Students from across the country have been encouraged to think about, research, and create topics and projects related to this theme. This year a Web site category has been added to the contest in both divisions, making 16 categories in all.
The awards ceremony to announce the winning entries in this state competition will take place at approximately 3 p.m. in the Daniels Theater in Atwood Hall. The top two winners in each category will then prepare for the National History Day Contest to be held in June at the University of Maryland, College Park.
This is the fourth time that Clark has hosted National History Day in Massachusetts.
Last year 182 students, representing 47 public and private schools from across the Commonwealth, registered for this event. There are two divisions, junior (grades 6-8) and senior (grades 9-12). These students produced 112 entries in 14 categories (including historical papers, table top exhibits, live performances, and documentaries) that were judged by teams of teachers and history professionals.
National History Day, at the University of Maryland at College Park, is a national historical research program for students in grades 6 through 12. Massachusetts History Day is currently celebrating 26 years of work with students in the Commonwealth.
To learn more about National History Day, visit www.nhd.org. Massachusetts History Day also has a web site at http://ma.nhd.org.
For further information, contact Robert Taylor, State Coordinator, Massachusetts History Day, at RFTaylor21@verizon.net; 508-695-6675.