By Kathleen Barker, Education Department

Early on the morning of 6月10日, 2012, I found myself standing in a parking lot in Woburn, Mass., with dozens of bleary-eyed middle- and high-school students. Despite the early hour there was a touch of excitement in the air, for these talented young ladies and gentlemen were waiting for the buses that would take them to the National History Day (NHD) finals at the University of Maryland in College Park. The 2012 contest was the largest ever in NHD history, 当2,794 students participated in this year’s national competition, that number represents only a fraction of the students who participated in National History Day during the 2011-2012 school year.

For the students gathered in College Park, national competition represented the zenith of a process that began nearly nine months earlier. 2012年主题过后不久, “革命, 反应, 历史改革,有人宣布。, students began investigating potential topics, exploring local (and not-so-local) libraries and archives, 创造展品, 表演, 纪录片, 网站, 或论文. Students from across the United States consulted collections at the Massachusetts Historical Society for this year’s competition. The Library Reader Services staff fielded reference calls and emails on topics such as the 波士顿倾茶事件, 邦克山战役, Horace Mann and nineteenth-century school reform, Dorthea迪克斯，和 abolition of slavery.

I was fortunate enough to 旅行 with the Massachusetts delegation to this year’s national competition. The festivities began on the evening of Sunday, 6月10日, with a rousing opening ceremony on the lawn at McKeldin Library. Imagine thousands of students, 父母, 老师们在欢呼, 喋喋不休, and trading pins and you’ll have a good sense of what the opening ceremony was like. The competition got down to business on Monday morning, and while in College Park I had the opportunity to serve as a judge along with more than 300 other historians and other education professionals. Anyone who has ever judged at a history day competition can tell you what an amazing experience this is. I met with many talented and enthusiastic students over the course of the three-day competition. They taught me a great deal about topics as diverse as Levittown, use of helicopters in the Vietnam War, 和尼古拉·特斯拉. Thanks to a very well illustrated project on 内战 hospitals, I also have new appreciation for modern medicine.

Alas, contest did eventually come to end. After three days of intense but rewarding competition, winners were announced at a ceremony at the University’s Comcast Center on June 14, 2012. 事件 began with the best parade I’ve ever seen: a parade of participating students across the floor of the arena. 我看了超过2个,000 students circle the arena with everything from state flags to inflatable lobsters! 整个上午, dozens of students were singled out for awards and special prizes，和 boisterous crowd made sure that each winner was duly appreciated. Prizes were sponsored not only by NHD but by friends of history like the National Endowment for the Humanities, 历史频道，和 National World War II Museum. Several students from Massachusetts took home special prizes, but a special congratulations goes to our lone award winner, Chad Nowlan of Holyoke Catholic High School, who placed second in the Individual Performance category for his project, “From Revolution to Constitution, 谢斯叛乱的.(你可以找到一个 完整的得奖名单 在NHD网站上.)

It takes a cast thousands to make History Day happen every year. Kudos to the national staff for making NHD a successful enterprise for more than 30 years! A special thanks to the Massachusetts History Day co-coordinators, Bill Szachowicz and Bob Jones, as well as all the members of the Massachusetts History Day board, who volunteer many hours to make History Day happen in Massachusetts. Thank you to all of the teachers, 图书馆员, 档案工作人员, 父母, and other mentors who shepherded students through the historical research process. 最后的, 但肯定不是最不重要的, a hearty congratulations to all of the students who participated in National History Day this year. These dedicated students gave up their evenings, 周末, and even school vacations to engage with the past. In the end,y are ALL winners!  

If History Day sounds like tons of fun (and it is), learn more about the 2012-2013 比赛的主题, “Turning Points in History” at the NHD website. 参观 Massachusetts History Day website for information about participating in contests in the Commonwealth. Finally, come back to the 利记APP官网手机版的网站 in September 2012 to find out how the Society can help you with your History Day research.