Next Friday is History Day in Texas Schools. Schools all over the state participate and winners go to Washington in June for National History Day Competition. I have been a judge for years, since my son was in middle school. I have seen great improvement in the entries, the choices of presentations, and the enthusiasm of the students.
The program is entirely voluntary and done after schools are out for the day or on weekends. Coaches are usually history teachers and/or parents. Each year there is a theme – this year it is Breaking Barriers in History. World, national and state barriers from the ancient past to recent times can be explored. Once the student or team chooses a theme and time frame the research begins.
Over the years research techniques have changed immensely. At one time students went to the library to learn about their topic. But with the advent of the internet fewer print text is used. The new methods have created a new way to document research materials.
Not only does the student or team have to learn about their topic, they must create a visual means to share their information. Skits can perform a short play of the topic, posters are often used, lately videos have become a way to teach the audience about the topic. The choices picked are amazing. For example, I bet there will be at least five entries pertaining to women’s suffrage in both the US and Great Britain. Segregation, removal of Native Americans, controlling floods waters are topics I expect to see. There are hundreds of thousands other ideas.
Whichever venue the student chooses, he or she will have a brief amount of time to convince the judges their project is the best. As a judge I have watched short skits about the Boston Tea Party, videos of riots, a model of the Alamo. Students must have a valid reasoning for their choice. When I first began to judge there was a least one model of the Alamo, no matter what the topic was. I haven’t seen an Alamo if several years. But now I am amazed with the knowledge of both the topic and technology.
The projects are organized in groups by grades of students and type of presentation. The students and judges discuss the project with no intervention from teachers, coaches, or parents. No judge knows everything about history, so the project can be a learning experience for everyone.
This year History Day contestants from Fannin, Hunt, and Lamar Counties will compete with several schools in the Nacogdoches area at Texas A&M University Commerce. Then next year, students from this part of Texas will travel to Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches.
History Day in Texas is sponsored by Texas State Historical Association with cooperation of colleges and universities in the area. For a judge it’s a lot of fun. I have even been in the campus library when a student comes up and tells me he or she met me at History Day. Many of the college students who choose a major in History participated in History Day in junior or senior high school. History gives us a balance between the past and present.