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Greetings from the State Coordinator
Greetings!
What a year! Can you believe it is June already? Before we head out on our summer vacations, I must thank all the students, parents, and teachers of New York for making 2008-2009 the most exciting History Day year yet.
Sure, we saw some conflicts and maybe a compromise or two over the last ten months, but it was all worth it, wouldn't you say? I am convinced more than ever that History Day provides not only an amazing academic experience, but also a chance for students to venture into and learn from the Big Fat Hairy World in which we all live.
At nationals this year, I watched History Day students master life lessons that many adults have yet to learn. I witnessed a 6th grade student accept defeat in competition with a grace that was nothing short of angelic. I saw an 8th grade student share her performance props with a competitor who couldn't access her own. And I marvelled as our students approached and befriended their competitors from the around the world, becoming the best ambassadors New York State could ever hope for.
And the best part of all this? These same students also became better readers, critical thinkers, time managers (maybe a little?), and academians, just to name a few of the other life skills they picked up.
I wish to humbly express my awe and respect for you, New York parents, teachers, and students. Congratulations and thank you!
This is our last issue of the e-newsletter until September, when we come back armed with many new resources for teachers and students and a very long essay on what we did with our summer vacation.
If you feel a hankering to start your History Day project early, you can always check our website at http://www.nyshistoryday.org. We'll be adding information on next year's theme and other resources there all summer long.
Thank you all again for such a great year!
Best wishes,
Tobi Voigt |
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Students Make New York Proud at National History Day
 New York State is proud of its students who competed at the 2008 National History Day competition, held June 15-19 at the University of Maryland in College Park.
New York sent 54 students to the competition, and all placed well above average in their categories. On average, Junior Division entries placed 4th (out of 13) in the first round of judging. Senior Division entries placed, on average, 5th (out of 13) in the first round of judging. Ten entries qualified for the finals, which narrowed the hundreds of entries to the top 14 in each category. Two New York entries won top honors and special awards:
Top Honors
6th grader Miru Osuga from New York City took home the 3rd place bronze medal for her Junior Individual Documentary Injustice, Tolerance, and Hope in the Japanese Internment Camps. Miru attends Hunter College Campus Schools in Manhattan, and participated in History Day for the first time this year.
8th grader Robert Duggan from West Nyack was awarded the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute Prize that recognizes and outstanding entry on 20th Century Political History. His Junior Web Site entry, entitled Solidarity: The Trade Union that Changed Europe was also selected as a finalist in the competition.
11th grade student Anu Lingala from Herricks High School on Long Island was awarded one of four prestigious college scholarships. Anu was awarded a partial tuition scholarship to the University of Maryland by National History Day Executive Director Cathy Gorn.
Top Rankings
Nine additional New York History Day projects placed within the top 11 in the world for their respective categories. This is an impressive accomplishment, and we express our hearty congratluations to the following students:
- 4th place: Junior Web Site: Solidarity: The Trade Union that Changed Europe by Robert Duggan, Felix Festa Middle School, West Nyack, NY
- 5th place: Junior Group Documentary: SS St. Louis - Ship of the Unwanted by Amelia Goodman & Kate Mallinson, Stimson Middle School, Huntington Station, NY
- 7th place: Senior Group Documentary: Constitution in Crisis by Amit Kohli, Peter Dimarco & Jordan Stein, Herricks High School, New Hyde Park, NY
- 8th place: Senior Individual Documentary: No Light at the End of the Tunnel: Conflict, Compromise, and the Tet Offensive by Charlotte Burger, Massapequa High School, Massapequa, NY
- 10th place: Junior Individual Exhibit: Heroism Defeats Horror: The Danish Resistance Movement, by Ryan McEvoy, Genesis at Xaverian, Brooklyn, NY
- 11th place: Junior Group Documentary: The Scopes Trial & The Monkey Business Behind It by Erica Ng, Jason Krueger, Helaine Regan-Tuero, & Chelsea Sidrane, Woodmere Middle School, Hewlett, NY
- 11th place: Junior Individual Performance: 1,000 World War II Refugees: A Journey through Conflict and Compromise by Lily Ashira Shoretz, Ramaz Middle School, New York City, NY
- 11th place: Senior Web Site: Shinnecock Land Conflicts: An Ongoing Battle Between Traditional Belief and Broken Compromises by Shalini Pamil, Commack High School, Commack, NY
- 11th place: Senior Group Exhibit: Behind Barbed Wire: The Conflict and Compromise of Japanese Internment by Anu Lingala, Sondra Lipshutz, & Allie Cutler, Herricks High School, Herricks, NY
Congratulations to all of New York Students for your amazing work! The state office staff could not be more pleased!
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The National History Education Clearinghouse
I recently received the inaugural issue of History Education News, a publication of the National History Education Clearinghouse. As I perused its pages, I became very excited by the plethora of resources that will undoubtedly help History Day teachers and their students.
The National History Education Clearinghouse is designed to help K-12 teachers access resources and materials to improve history education in the classroom. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education through the Office of Innovation and Improvement's Teaching American History program, the Clearinghouse builds on and disseminates lessons learned by more than 800 TAH projects across the country.
The Clearinghouse website, http://teachinghistory.org, is a gold mine of helpful tools. Its content is divided into topical sections including historical content, best practices, teaching materials, and professional development.
Some of the tools I found that can benefit History Day students were under the Best Practices section. They have a whole section devoted to teaching with primary resources with amazing tools! Here is a sample of the great content that is available:
I encourage you all to visit the National History Education Clearinghouse Website (if you haven't already) at http://teachinghistory.org and browse to your heart's content! |
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Program Links
New York State
History Day
National History Day
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Tobi Voigt
Program Sponsor
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