NHD
National History Day Prizes in
NA T I ONA L HISTORY DAY
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ational History Day (NHD) is a highly regarded yearlong educational program for middle and high school students that involves them in a competition to prepare a history project on a designated theme. Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of teachers nationwide, participate in NHD contests, starting at the regional level with opportunities to advance to the state and national competitions. Students select historical topics related to the theme and conduct primary and seco ndary research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews, and historic sites. After analyzing and interpreting their so urces and drawing conclusions about their topics' Matthew Blount, a student at Saint Peters Catholic School in Greenville, significance in hisrory, students present their original work North Carolina, proudly displays his awards for his maritime-themed NHD in papers, websites, exhibits, performances and documenta- entry, an exhibit titled, "Theodore Roosevelt: Leadership and Legacy Related ries-either individually or in groups. to the Panama Canal. "Matthew is cheered on by his teacher, Joe Hughes. To encourage students to learn about maritime history, the National Maritime Historical Society offers special prizes for maritime-related projects in several National History Day state contests. In 2015, NMHS participated in thirteen state contests, which are listed below, and awarded prizes to twenty-three students . The 2015 contest theme was "Leadership and Legacy in History," and students tackled topics ranging from naval heroes to civil engineering innovators, from Antarctic explorers to naval architects. We at the National Maritime Historical Society would like to extend our congratulations to this year's winners and a shout-out to all the hard-working teachers, coordinators, and judges who make the events such memorable and rewarding experiences. Prizes are awarded in both senior and junior categories for high school and middle school students. Award winners in each category get a one-year membership in the National Maritime Historical Society (that includes Sea History magazine), a certificate of achievement, plus recognition in Sea History and on the NMHS website. The mentoring teacher also receives a one-year membership in NMHS and recognition in Sea H istory. In addition, first place prize winners receive a $ 150 scholarship. The 2016 National History Day theme is "Exploration, Encounter, & Exchange in History." Now is the time to get started! The National History Day competition finals will be held on 12- 16 June 2016 at the University of Maryland, but the preparation starts now. Regional competitions are held between March and May, depending on the state. The coordinators for each state are listed on the NHD website at www.nhd.org, which is also the best place to find resources for students and teachers, from how to pick a topic, to how to conduct research, and much more. Projects can take the form of traditional papers/presentations, exhibits, documentaries, performances, or a website developed on the selected topic. Students: ask your history or social studies teachers if they will help yo u. Some students choose to go it alone, and others work on a project in groups. It's all up to you. And don't forget, if yo u choose a maritimerelated topic, you'll automatically be considered for the National Maritime Historical Society's special prize at the state competitions in Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Washington. Historians and educators-if yo u would like to learn about how yo u can get involved (volunteer as a judge, for example), please contact NMHS at 1-800-221-NMHS (6647), or via email at nmhs@seahistory.org. ~
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Mead Krowka as Ernest Shackleton during his award-winning performance at the North Carolina National H istory Day competition.
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SEA HISTORY 153, WINTER2015- 16