CT Educators Gather for Training to Prepare Middle and High School Students for 2025 Connecticut History Day

PHOTO CAPTION: From left to right – Rebecca Taber, Director of Secondary Education Programs for The Connecticut Democracy Center and State Coordinator of Connecticut History Day, with Jonaily Colon, Emiliana Torres of High School in the Community (New Haven) and their social studies teacher Danny Roque. 

(New Haven) — If you’re a teacher, how do you help a student take historical research and turn it into a scholarly paper or museum exhibit?  How about a website, live theatrical performance or documentary?  How does a topic in history relate to a theme like “Rights and Responsibilities,” and how do you guide your students to see and build an argument around that relationship?  Educators across Connecticut seeking answers to those questions recently gathered for an engaging training on preparing middle and high school students to participate in Connecticut History Day, an affiliate of the award-winning National History Day^® (NHD^®).

Connecticut History Day, a program of The Connecticut Democracy Center, organized the workshop in collaboration with the New Haven Museum, and the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at Yale University as the kick-off to the 2025 NHD^®. Educators representing thirty-four middle and high schools across Connecticut came to learn how to assist students in developing their individualized research projects.

Connecticut History Day annually engages thousands of middle and high school students in historical research, interpretation, and creative expression through project-based learning. Students in grades 6-12 choose a topic, conduct research, and present their conclusions through papers, exhibits, performances, documentaries, or websites. They can enter their project in one of five regional competitions in hopes of making it to the statewide contest in the spring. The state competition is the culmination of months of intense study and project development with guidance and feedback from teachers and regional contest judges. The theme for 2025 is Rights & Responsibilities in History. Winners from the state competition will be invited to represent Connecticut at the national level.

Several attendees are new to Connecticut History Day and plan to pilot the academic program with their students this year. Educators utilizing the Connecticut History Day resources teach students to conduct historical research, identify primary resources, and utilize analytical skills when developing arguments and presenting evidence.

“The day was so professional, I felt valued as an educator,” enthused Kim Rogers, Librarian Lead for the New Haven School District who attended the training. Danny Roque, a High School in the Community (New Haven) teacher, discussed his long-time involvement with Connecticut History Day and shared strategies for implementing the program and supporting students.

Roque was joined by his students, Jonaily Colon, and Emiliana Torres, who placed in the top two at the Connecticut History Day State Contest and participated in the National Contest at the University of Maryland. In 2023, Jonaily created a documentary, Frontiers in Mental Hygiene: How Clifford W. Beers Shifted Attitudes Towards Mental Health. Last year, Emiliana crafted a performance, The Right to Counsel: The Story of Clarence Earl Gideon and his Fight for Due Process. She plans to participate in the program again this year.

Joanna Steinberg, the Director of Learning & Engagement at New Haven Museum and the New Haven Regional Coordinator for Connecticut History Day showed teachers how different media can be used to tell important historical stories, demonstrated inquiry-based approaches for interpreting primary sources, and provided strategies for teachers to help guide students through the research process. Steinberg also gave teachers a guided tour of the Museum’s exhibition Shining a Light on Truth: New Haven, Yale & Slavery, which runs until March 1, 2025.

Aya Marczyk, Research Scholar at the MacMillan Center and Curriculum Development Fellow at the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at Yale University, led a hands-on session about historiography, the study of historical writing. Marczyk utilized materials from the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies to encourage educators to explore eyewitness accounts as an essential source for studying historical events such as the Holocaust. The Archives include a collection of over 4,400 accounts from survivors, witnesses, and liberators.

“Students shine when they participate in History Day,” says Rebecca Taber, Director of Secondary Education Programs for The Connecticut Democracy Center and State Coordinator of Connecticut History Day.  “As students learn to conduct in-depth research and present their work to judges, they develop confidence and a love of learning. Working with our partners to introduce Connecticut History Day to new teachers is thrilling. We are excited to collaborate with them and their students in the coming year!”

Connecticut History Day, an affiliate of NHD^®, is a program in residence at Connecticut’s Old State House which is managed by The Connecticut Democracy. For more information, go to www.nhd.org or www.historydayct.org.

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 The Connecticut Democracy Center (CTDC) provides people of all ages with a lifetime pathway to active citizenship and the tools to take civic action in their communities. With a broad range of initiatives, including The Connecticut Network (CT-N), Connecticut’s Old State House, Connecticut History Day, Connecticut’s Kid Governor®, The Connecticut Democracy Center Debate Tournament, and We The People: The Citizen and The Constitution, The CTDC envisions a society where everyone is empowered to participate in our democracy. Learn more by visiting ctdemocracycenter.org and engaging on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.