Press Release
April 27, 2015
Contact: Sarah Dumas
Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-0791
sdumas@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/historycenter
Hundreds of Students to Compete in the State History Day Finals
Oklahoma City, Okla.—Each year thousands of students across the state spend countless hours preparing exhibits, documentaries, performances, websites and papers for the National History Day competition. On May 6-7 the work will pay off for a handful of junior high and high school students at the Oklahoma National History Day contest at the Oklahoma History Center.
Oklahoma History Day is part of National History Day, a highly regarded academic program for 6th through 12th grade students, with more than 500,000 students taking part annually. Students from across the state choose historical topics related to an annual theme and conduct extensive research at libraries, archives, museums and historic sites. Student scholars use their research to draw conclusions about their topics' significance in history and present their work at regional and state contests before qualifying for the Kenneth E. Behring National Contest each June at the University of Maryland at College Park. National History Day also provides educational services to students and teachers, including a summer internship program, curricular materials and Internet resources and annual teacher workshops and training institutes.
"National History Day allows students to do the work of historians, explore the past in a personal and unique way, and then present what they learn to historians and museum professionals," said Jason Harris, Oklahoma's History Day coordinator. "It is one of the best tools for authentic evaluation that classroom teachers can find and brings students from rural and urban schools together, giving them skills that will benefit them in school, college and life."
State competitors were identified from a pool of contestants at regional contests throughout the state. First- and second-place winners at the state competition will advance to the National History Day contest, set for June 13–19. Prizes are awarded at all levels, including more than $150,000 in scholarships for national winners.
The public can view the state National History Day contest beginning at 9 a.m. at the Oklahoma History Center located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. in Oklahoma City. A diverse range of entries mark this year's state contest, including a performance on Oklahoma's own Patti Page, an exhibit highlighting Jim Thorpe, a website on General Thomas P. Stafford, a documentary about the Hennessey Massacre and a paper illustrating the work of Alice Mary Robertson.
For more information or to receive a teacher's packet for next year's contest you can contact the state coordinators, Sarah Dumas and Rachel Kellum, at 405-522-3602. For more information on National History Day, contact the national office at 301-314-9739 or visit the National History Day official website at www.nhd.org.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains 31 museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
