Imagine you’re in a massive amphitheater – there are oceans of people waving flags in support of their states and excited whispers of those awaiting the next presentation that someone’s worked so hard to create. This was the scene at the Xfinity Center in the University of Maryland in June of 2023; over 2,600 students attended this national contest. This year, it will take place once again in June and the theme will be Rights & Responsibilities in History.
National History Day is a nationwide competition. You pick a topic and you research based off of that topic. This year will be sophomore Emma Frisbie’s third year presenting; she did two presentations and competed in Nationals in 2023.
“It’s definitely a lot of work, but I’ve learned so much from the projects. And it’s fun,” Frisbie said.
NHD used to be a small contest that started in Ohio. Now, after 50 years, it’s a contest where students all over the country compete to have the best presentation. NHD offers $1,000 in cash for the first place winner. Competitors start by picking a niche topic to research that falls within the set theme for the year. Afterward, they explore various means of presenting to audiences: competitors can create an exhibit, performance, paper, website or documentary.
“You get better at [presenting] by just doing more,” social studies teacher Hamilton Hernandez said. As a teacher, he “[gives] a history presentation every day.” There are multiple factors that students often forget when presenting.
“One of the things that gets lost sometimes is just thinking about what the crowd needs. The big goal is that they walk away knowing what you want them to know,” Mr. Hernandez said. While there are difficulties with presenting to huge crowds, there are great benefits.
“I love research, and I think that getting students to think deeper about history is always a good thing,” social studies teacher Colin McIvor said. He knows that “some schools have a lot of students take part in [NHD];” and for a good reason. NHD is a great opportunity for anyone in grades 6-12 to join next year who are interested in historical presentations.
