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Greetings from the State Coordinator
Greetings!
Wow, wow, wow, wow and wow. Cooperstown was packed to the gills on May 1 & 2 for the 28th annual New York State History Day contest, which was our biggest ever! Congratulations to all the students who came out to share their hard work with our judges and the general public. See our article below for more information about the amazing day.
Two days after our state contest, National History Day released the 2009 Annual Theme sheet. Next year's theme is The Individual in History, and you can download the theme sheet today from our website at: http://www.nyshistoryday.org/AnnualTheme.htm. More information on next year's theme and program will become available over the summer.
And lastly, I am thrilled to share news about a new professional development opportunity we will be offering this summer. The New York State Historical Association is pleased to announce its first annual Summer Teacher Institute! The institute consists of two parts: In June, participants will receive instruction through four on-line lessons that they can complete at their own pace. Then, the week of July 13-18, the institute will culminate in a week-long Cooperstown History Day extravaganza where participants work with historians, access primary source documents and objects, visit museums and historical associations, and create their very own History Day exhibits. Stay tuned for more details later this week!
Thank you all for such a great year!
Best wishes,
Tobi Voigt |
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Students Shine at New York State History Day in Cooperstown
 On Friday, May 2, the New York State Historical Association hosted over 400 middle and high school students from across New York State at the 28th annual New York State History Day competition. The state contest was the culmination of a year-long history education program that challenges New York students in grades 6-12 to produce exceptional scholarship on topics in history related to an annual theme. This year's theme was Conflict & Compromise in History.
Students who won awards at 12 different regional contests in March presented their final projects in the form of dramatic performances, imaginative exhibits, multimedia documentaries, interactive web sites and scholarly research papers. Over 100 historians, museum professionals, and educators served as judges and assessed the student work at various venues throughout the village, including the Fenimore Art Museum, The Farmers' Museum, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and The Otesaga Hotel. The day's events culminated in an awards ceremony at the Cooperstown High School.
Students chose topics ranging from local to world and ancient to recent history. Ryan Van Slyke, a middle school student from Fayetteville who received a Special Award from the New York State Archives Partnership Trust, wrote about the conflicts and compromises encountered by 982 European refugees who were housed in Oswego, New York during World War II. Long Island high school student Calvin Ho won first place for his Senior Individual Performance on the issues and consequences of building a residential area on a former toxic waste dump at Love Canal, Niagara Falls. Students also shared their research and analysis on topics such as the Salem Witch Trials, the Israeli-Palestine conflict, the Vietnam War, the Iran-Contra Scandal, the Seneca Falls convention, the John Scopes trial, and Japanese internment camps during World War II.
Click here to see and download contest photographs
Congratulations to the students, teachers, parents, and friends who made this a fantastic year for history! | |
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Debate Competition Perfect for NHD Students
Now Debate This! is a national scholarship competition taking place this summer. Sixteen students will be selected to spend their summer studying the lives and legacies of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
At the end of their studies, they will debate who the better President was. The winner will receive a full scholarship to the college of their choice. It's the perfect opportunity for NHD participants.
All sixteen contestants will receive a $3,500 dollar summer stipend, a new laptop and a video camera. At the end of their summer, they visit relevant historic sites throughout the Untied States (including Mount Vernon, Springfield, IL, and Philadelphia), experiencing first-hand the lives of both Presidents.
Then the debates begin! On August 9, the sixteen will go head to head, debating the legacies of both Presidents. The top winners will win scholarships of up to $25,000. (Every one of the sixteen earns at least $2,000 in scholarship money!)
The top two will debate live online (and maybe on television) for a $150,000 scholarship. The runner-up will take home a $50,000 scholarship.
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Save Our History Grants Now Available!
Inspire the youth in your community to become the preservationists of tomorrow. Museums, historic sites, historical societies, preservation organizations, libraries, and archives are invited to partner with a local school or youth group and apply for funding to help preserve the history of their communities. Each year, The History Channel awards grants of up to $10,000 to organizations across the country that partner with schools or youth groups on community preservation projects that engage students in learning about, documenting and preserving the history of their communities.
The 2008/2009 Grant Cycle has begun and the grant application is available online - please click on "Grant Application" on the left hand menu to learn more and submit an application! Applications are due June 6th, 2008. Good luck! All questions can be directed to info@saveourhistory.com. |
Journalism Project Needs Teacher Input
The following inquiry came to us from the H-HistoryDay listserv this week, and we thought we'd pass it along:
"I recently left the Los Angeles Times after 21 years as a reporter with a grant from the Knight Foundation to develop a national program to mobilize journalists nationwide to show secondary school students that all information is not created equal. The program will give students the tools to become smarter and more frequent consumers and producers of credible information by distinguishing fact from fiction, verified information from raw information, gossip and opinion. It will draw on the experience and expertise of journalists to respond to the growing challenge that America faces of assuring that young people get information they need to become well-informed citizens and voters in the digital age.
I am seeking middle and high school English, social studies and history teachers and administrators who are interested in providing feedback, guidance and ideas for the program. I am also looking for teachers and schools who would consider participating in pilot projects starting in early 2009.
Thanks very much for your consideration.
Alan Miller"
Not a member of the H-HistoryDay listserv, which provides a forum for the more than 40,000 teachers, public historians, librarians, and other educators who participate in National History Day each year? Visit http://www.h-net.org/~histday/ for more information or to subscribe. | |
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Program Links
New York State
History Day
National History Day
That History Day Guy
John Buchinger
That History Day Gal
Tobi Voigt
Program Sponsor
New York State Historical Association
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