Connecticut Students Advance to National History Day Contest

CONNECTICUT STUDENTS ADVANCE TO NATIONAL CONTEST

Students from across the state have been chosen to represent CT in National History Day

May 4, 2021

Connecticut – 356 students from 56 schools across the state competed in this weekend’s Connecticut History Day (CHD) State Contest. The judging has been completed and the results are in!

A total of 60 students have moved on to represent Connecticut at the National History Day (NHD) competition after winning regional and statewide contests earlier this spring and placing in first or second place in the CHD State Contest. They will join students from across the United States and overseas for the week-long virtual competition next month for the chance to win prestigious prizes, including college scholarships.

A complete list of winners, their schools, and their topics can be seen online at historydayct.org/contest-winners.

“Congratulations to each of the 356 students who participated in the State Contest, and their teachers,” said Rebecca Taber-Conover, Head of Connecticut History Day at The Connecticut Democracy Center at Connecticut’s Old State House. “These students created amazing projects and our judges enjoyed reviewing their work.  We have an outstanding delegation to represent Connecticut at the National Contest this year!”

Connecticut History Day (CHD) is the year-long academic program for middle and high-school students that includes a series of regional contests leading up to a state contest and the opportunity to advance to the national contest. The program is one of 58 affiliates of National History Day.

Inspired by the 2021 national theme Communication in History: The Key to Understanding, student participants conducted research and turned their findings into documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances, or websites to share what they’ve learned on topics ranging from The Establishment Of The American School For The Deaf to Was Communication to Blame for the Tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials? Many students chose Connecticut-focused topics.

111 volunteer judges evaluated the projects to determine which students’ projects will advance to the National History Day Contest.

29 students also won Special Prizes, sponsored by state and local organizations such as the Connecticut League of History Organizations, The Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity and Transnational Migration at Yale, The Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, The Washington Library at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and many more.

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.

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