Hundreds of middle and high school students will compete Saturday, April 27, at the National History Day Competition in the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. The 450 students from 70 schools are the winners of district competitions held across North Carolina. The public is invited to view their projects on the theme “Triumph and Tragedy in History.”
Public, private and homeschool students will present historical performances, websites, documentaries, exhibits and research papers. The top projects will represent North Carolina at the National History Day Competition at the University of Maryland-College Park in June. North Carolina has produced several national medalists and special prize winners in past years.
“Students will have to examine this complex subject through multiple perspectives,” explains competition coordinator Karen Ipock. “Can a person or group experience triumph and tragedy at the same time? How does one triumph after tragedy? These are among questions they should consider.”
Judges include historians and educators who give feedback to the students. Students are encouraged to improve their projects using judges’ feedback at each stage of the competition so that their projects continually evolve. Awards will be presented at 2:45 p.m.
The National History Day contest increases historical understanding by encouraging students to do the work of historians. After selecting a topic for research and analysis, students use historic documents and artifacts, travel to historic sites and gather other primary sources.
For additional information call (919) 814-6639. National History Day in North Carolina is a yearlong academic program for grades six through 12 and is affiliated with the National History Day program. Sponsors of National History Day in North Carolina are the Office of Archives and History, N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies with substantial assistance from the North Caroliniana Society.