2018 National History Day

*Students that qualified for State in April below

On February 28, 90 students went to National History Day at Hastings College. Each year, every sophomore in Ap US History makes a project for the contest as a class assignment. They start in early October and have time to work on it until February before the contest.

This year is the seventh year that National History Day has been available to students to participate in. Mrs. Ann Mays offers attendance to the competition because it is a great way for students to gain experience. They also get to learn about something they have interest in.

“Nebraska state standards require that students be able to conduct historical research and analyze that research, so students would be required to do a research project regardless of the contest,” Mays said. “I feel like the History Day contest is one of the most authentic and practical assessments that we have.”

“We decided to go because we wanted to experience the way it was carried out. We were also very confident in our work,”  sophomore Emily Struss said about choosing to attend.

Every year there is a different theme for the contest. The theme for 2018 is “Conflict and Compromise.” Students had to find someone or an event in history that embodies this characteristic. Sophomores Emily Struss, McKenzie Lloyd, and Benjamin Brockman chose Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist. To present their information, students can choose any type of project ranging from an exhibit, skit, process paper, documentary, or a website. They compete in the senior individual or senior group divisions of each category.

On the day of the contest, students meet before school to load buses. Once they reach Hastings College, they check into their assigned area with students who brought similar projects. Much of the time is spent waiting, but the college does provide tours of the campus. For the competition, there is an interview that lasts 15-30 minutes.

“Our group chose to do a website, so it was different for us than it was for other projects. We went in a room with two judges and they looked at our project. After they finished we presented our website. Then we were asked questions and given tips to improve,” Struss said.

The judges at the competition have ballots that they fill out. The ballots have categories for research, presentation, and bibliography. Students are not judged just on their presentation, but how well they know their topic.

“They are looking for students who have truly become experts on their topic and have taken the research seriously,” Mays said.

The rubric for the class grade is based on the History Day requirements. These requirements include: word and time limits, attribution of sources, 10 primary sources, and 2 secondary sources. More points are rewarded for an in-depth analysis, historical context, and for how the project looks.

Although going to National History Day is optional, Mays and Struss believe it is a good opportunity.

“I recommend that students do because it is a wonderful experience. It is fun and challenging and for anyone who likes to be pushed to do their best,” Struss said.

“They have to do the project anyway. It doesn’t take that much more effort to participate in the contest and it can have some pretty significant rewards,” Mays said. “They might as well take advantage of every opportunity to show off their knowledge and their skills. There are not enough opportunities for this kind of experience in the average high school classroom. They should take advantage of every opportunity that comes along.”

The following student will advance to state History Day on April 7th at Wesleyan University in Lincoln. If students get a first or second place rating, they qualify for the national competition at the University of Maryland in June.

Senior Individual Documentaries

1st Conflict, Compromise, and the Christmas Truce of 1914

Hannah Evans

3rd Chris Benoit and His Effects On Modern Professional Wrestling

JT Cafferty

Senior Group Documentaries

1st Cumann na mBan:  The Leader, the Writer, and the Warrior

Lucy Nielsen, Chyna Decker

3rd Gone But Not Forgotten:  The Conflict Over the Burial Records at the Hastings Regional Center

Thomas Harling, Luke Kirkegaard, Jacob Shaw

Senior Individual Exhibits

1st 2nd Time’s The Charm:  The Story of the United Nations

Maggie Nielsen

2nd The Establishment of the Manchu Dynasty

Katelyn Cecrle

3rd Margaret Bourke-White:  Conflict Through the Lens

Sarah Spilinek

Senior Group Exhibits

1st Sisters Against Slavery: Angelina and Sarah Grimke

Gilliyan Hueske, Kate Delany & Haley Schram

3rd To Compromise or Not To Compromise:  The Conflict Within The Women’s Suffrage Movement

Tyler Weseman and Ramona Lara

Senior Individual Papers

1st “The Room Where It Happened”:  The Compromise of 1790

Chandice Rogers

2nd Olaudah Equiano:  The Voice of the Voiceless

Landon Powers

Senior Group Performances

1st Will and Ben:  A Family Divided

Anderson Rogers and Kobi Ennen

Senior Individual Websites

1st General John Pershing and His Fight For Equality

Tagg Pershing

2nd Sit For Change

Logan Johnson

3rd Cheap Coal and Cheap Lives:  The Ludlow Massacre

Oliver Dunbar

Senior Group Websites

1st If We Must Die:  Afro-America and the Red Summer of 1919

Carter Wenburg, Chase Johnson, Christine Jonglertham

2nd Got Milk?  The Life and Conflicts of Harvey Milk

Benjamin Brockmann, Emily Struss, McKenzie Lloyd

3rd

The Impact of Jane Addams VS. H.H. Holmes

Grace Redinger, Lily Black

Hastings College Scholarship Winners

$4000 Scholarship

“The Room Where It Happened”:  The Compromise of 1790

Chandice Rogers

$5000 Scholarship

If We Must Die:  Afro-America and the Red Summer of 1919

Carter Wenburg, Chase Johnson, Christine Jonglertham

$6000 Scholarship

Conflict, Compromise, and the Christmas Truce of 1914

Hannah Evans

All of these students qualify to compete at Nebraska State History on April 7 in Lincoln at Wesleyan University