Connecticut History Day is Creating History with Virtual Contests

February 26, 2021

Hartford, Conn. – When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Connecticut last year, Connecticut History Day (CHD) faced two choices: cancel the program’s annual contests or go virtual. CHD is an academic program for middle and high school students run by the Connecticut Democracy Center at Connecticut’s Old State House. Since the program teaches valuable life skills, cancellation was not an option: the show had to go on. A year later, the ingenuity and creativity that successfully converted the 2020 Regional and State in-person contests to virtual events propelled CHD staff to create an even bigger and better event for the 2021 Contest season.

Every year students from across Connecticut conduct research, interview historians, develop arguments based on original analyses, and then create documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances, or websites designed to share what they’ve learned. Next, they enter one of six Regional Contests, with hopes of advancing to the State Contest in May and the National History Day Contest in June. Volunteer judges assess the projects at every level, culminating in a National Contest where thousands of students compete for prizes.

The challenge in 2020 was finding a way to make virtual contests as rewarding as “normal” contests, where thousands of Connecticut students come together for lively competitions. It has been a difficult year with the ongoing pandemic, but CHD students have risen to the challenge and persevered to do great historical research and create creative and thoughtful projects.

This year, virtual Regional and State Contests will be held throughout the spring with student work viewable to the greater community. The Regional Contests will take place on March 6 for the Norwich and Mansfield/Storrs Regions; March 13 for the Torrington and Hartford Regions; and March 20 for the Fairfield and New Haven Contests. The virtual State Contest will take place on May 1. Student projects may be viewed by the public online at https://www.historydayct.org/regionalcontestday.html on the days of the contests beginning at 9 a.m.

The judging for each virtual Regional Contest and the State Contest will take place over a two-week period of time. Winners will be announced on: March 8 for the Norwich and Mansfield Contests, March 15 for the Torrington and Hartford Contests, and March 22 for the Fairfield and New Haven Contests. The virtual Award Ceremony will be live-streamed to the Connecticut History Day website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel.  Students who finish in the top three at the Regional Contests will move on to the State Contest where they will compete for an opportunity to represent CT at the National History Day Contest.

Connecticut History Day is coordinated by The Connecticut Democracy Center at Connecticut’s Old State House. An affiliate program of National History Day, CHD promotes the study of history in schools – including public, private, and home schools – to create a higher degree of appreciation for the value of historical thought in students, educators, and community members who participate. CHD creates college and career-ready citizens of the future by engaging students in rigorous, inquiry-based academic research projects.

CHD conforms to the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies Connecticut State Standards and Connecticut’s new Social Studies Frameworks.

CHD is presented with major funding and partnership support from CT Humanities. Program support is given by the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area and the New Haven Museum. Follow Connecticut History Day on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and visit the program’s website at histordayct.org.