March 6, 2006
Clark to host National History Day contest for state on April 8
Worcester, Mass. - After competing in five regional districts, students from public and private schools across the Commonwealth will compete in the state finals of Massachusetts History Day at Clark University on Saturday, April 8. The contest will take place between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Tilton Hall in the Higgins University Center as well as in Jonas Clark Hall. The awards ceremony to announce the winning entries will take place in Daniels Theater in Atwood Hall at approximately 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Students in grades 6 through 12 produced exhibits, multimedia documentaries and research papers related to this year's theme, "Taking A Stand in History." These projects are being evaluated at local, state, and national competitions and are being judged by teams of teachers and history professionals.
The top two entries identified from the competition at Clark from the junior (grades 6-8) and senior (grades 9-12) divisions will compete at a National History Day competition at the University of Maryland in June.
NHD is a year-long education program that engages students in the process of discovery and interpretation of historical topics. It has grown into a national organization with year-round programs and a week-long national contest. National History Day is directed from offices at the University of Maryland at College Park.
Massachusetts adopted this program at the state level in 1982. State competitions are sponsored by the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies.
This is the second time Clark has hosted the Massachusetts competition for National History Day. Last year, 195 students from 41 public and private schools from across the Commonwealth participated in the event.
To learn more about National History Day, visit www.nationalhistoryday.org.
More information about Massachusetts History Day is available at http://ma.nhd.org.