National History Day
It's not just a day . . . It's an experience.
Gold Again!--Team Tennessee has gold medalists again in 2012! Rebecca Derby and Rachel Emond from Sevier County High School were awarded the gold medal in the Senior Group Exhibit category at the National History Day awards ceremony at the University of Maryland on June 14. Their project, "Ignition of a Revolution: The Fire that Changed America," covered the New York City Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911. Also awarded with a special prize, "The Legacy Prize" sponsored by the Creativity Foundation, was Springfield student Brittany Wilharm.
State affiliate prizes (winners are selected from each state) were also awarded. Hadley Peters from Concord Christian School (Knoxville) was presented with the Best Tennessee Junior Entry for her Individual Website "The Reform of the Tennessee Walking Horse." Additional state affiliate awards also went to Olivia Brown from Nashville (Best Tennessee Senior Entry) and Lane Crouse-Helford from Murfreesboro (The Salute to Freedom Prize sponsored by the National World War II Museum).
National History Day is a highly regarded and academically challenging history program. Held in June in College Park, MD, this educational contest fosters academic achievement and intellectual growth. In addition to acquiring useful historical knowledge and perspective during the series of district, state, and national competitions, students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills that will help them manage and use information now and in the future. National History Day participation is truly an experience that lasts a lifetime.
NHD requires students to conduct extensive research, interpret information, and draw conclusions about the meaning of the past. After researching a topic inspired by the annual theme, students develop incredible projects in one of five formats: exhibit, documentary, performance, paper, or website.
In Tennessee, the NHD program is coordinated by the state affiliate Tennessee History Day sponsored by the Tennessee Historical Society in Nashville. The East Tennessee district competition is coordinated by the East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) staff and co-sponsored by ETHS and the University of Tennessee’s Department of History.