National History Day is a year-long academic program focused on historical research for 6th to 12th grade students.
Each year, more than half a million students nationwide participate in the NHD contest. Students choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive primary and secondary research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews and historic sites. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, students present their work in original papers, web sites, exhibits, performances, and documentaries. These are entered into competitions in the spring at local, state, and national levels where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. The program culminates in the Kenneth E. Behring National Contest each June held at the University of Maryland at College Park.
In addition to discovering the exciting world of the past, NHD also helps students develop the following attributes that are critical for future success:
- critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- research and reading skills
- oral and written communication and presentation skills
- a sense of responsibility for and involvement in the democratic process
Eli worked independently on his paper, “Release of the Pentagon Papers,” outside of the school day, and spent a good portion of his Spring Break on his entry.
