In all, 54 students from Tennessee participated in the annual competition in which students are judged by the quality of their history projects. Projects were based on this year’s annual theme of Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences and were entered in five categories: museum style exhibit, interpretive website, multimedia documentary, dramatic performance, and research paper.
“We are incredibly proud of our students for all the time and effort they put into their projects,” said Kelly Wilkerson, state coordinator for the Tennessee History Day program at the Tennessee Historical Society (THS). “These students have not only deepened their understanding of their chosen topics, but also been energized by learning. National History Day truly brings history to life for students.”
"I want to congratulate all of the students who represented Tennessee at National History Day this year - particularly Lauren Collins of White Pine, who made history by becoming the first Tennessean to win first place in the national competition”, said Secretary of State Tre Hargett, a major supporter of the Tennessee History Day program. “History Day helps students develop research and planning skills that will serve them well in their education and in their careers. Also, studies suggest that students who participate in History Day are more likely to be well-informed and engaged citizens when they reach adulthood, which is great for our American democracy."
NHD is a year-long academic organization for elementary and secondary school students focused on the teaching and learning of history. A recent study by Rockman, et al found students who participate in NHD develop a range of college and career-ready skills, and outperform their peers on state standardized tests in multiple subjects, including reading, science, math and social studies.
The awards were presented during a ceremony today. Tennessee’s winners were:
1) Lauren Collins, a student at White Pine School, who took first place in the Junior Individual Documentary category for her project on “Eminent Domain: Private Tragedies for the Public Good.” Her teacher is Jack Collins.
2) Kelsey Pepper and Courtney Harshbarger of St. George's Middle School in Collierville
who won the Outstanding State Entry award in the Junior Division for Tennessee for their group exhibit on "The Debates that Changed History: Lincoln-Douglas, 1858.” Their teacher is Traci Erlandson.
3) Derek Roberts and William Burdette, students at Polk County High School in Benton, who took the Outstanding State Entry award in the Senior Division for their group documentary on “The Good Government League: Debate and Diplomacy after World War II.” This project also made the finals and ranked in the top 14 projects in the nation. Their teacher is Dewey Esquinance.
The NHD program annually engages more than 500,000 students in grades six through 12 from 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa and Department of Defense schools.
Each fall, students nationwide begin the year-long National History Day program, competing in a series of history contests in their local communities and states.
In Tennessee, district competitions take place in Knoxville (sponsored by the East Tennessee Historical Society), Chattanooga (sponsored by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga), Murfreesboro (sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University) and Memphis (sponsored by the University of Memphis.) The state competition is held in Nashville at Legislative Plaza and is coordinated by the Tennessee Historical Society. The THS also coordinates the Tennessee delegation’s participation in the national contest.
More than 300 historians and other education professionals evaluate the work of over 2,000 students at the National History Day contest. More than $250,000 in scholarships and cash prizes were awarded at the ceremony today. To see a full list of winners, visit the National History Day website at http://nhd.org/AwardsWinners.htm.
A complete list of Tennessee students who participated in the competition in College Park is on the Tennessee Historical Society website.
For more information about the History Day program in Tennessee or the program’s state-level sponsor, the Tennessee Historical Society, visit their website at http://www.tennesseehistory.org/historyday.htm or contact Kelly Wilkerson at 615-741-8934 or by email at historyday [at] tennesseehistory [dot] org.
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