Ebenezer Middle School students who participated in the National History Day event held last week at Georgia Southern University captured 13 of the 15 available slots to continue on to the state competition to be held at Macon State College on April 26.
For four of the past five years, EMS students have advanced beyond the state competition and attended the national competition in Maryland.
The following EMS students participated in the regional event held at GSU: Nick Steese, Devyn Jaudon, Jessica Terry, Michaela Williford, Raoul Rego, Brandon Cate, Alex Naber, Nicole Kessler, Cara Usher, Taylor May, Jeb Register, Ashlee Griffith, Brent Davis, Megan Edwards, Rachel Wood, Sabrina Weathers, Ryan Goss, Deeran Patel, Adam Holloway, Ruben Ramos, Devon Dugan, Marisa Griffiths, Brandy Oglesby, Emily Beaudoin, Gavin Davis, Brock Rabon, Joe Thompson, Gabby Lory and Kiersten Close. EMS teacher Sonya Haywood is the school’s National History Day advisor.
Winners in the Junior Division were:
Historical Paper
Ashlee Griffith
Brent Davis
Nicole Kessler
Individual Documentary
Raoul Rego
Sabrina Weathers
Ryan Goss
Group Documentary
Adam Holloway and Deeran Patel
Alex Naber and Brandon Cate
Devon Dugan and Ruben Ramos
Individual Exhibit
Nick Steese
Amber Pair
Group Exhibit
Devyn Jaudon and Jessica Terry
Megan Edwards and Rachel Wood
National History Day is an educational program devoted to improving the teaching and learning of history in American schools. NHD is a meaningful way for students to study historical issues, ideas, people and events by engaging in historical research. In other words, NHD breathes life into the traditional history curriculum by engaging students and teachers in a hands-on and in-depth approach to studying the past.
Beginning in the fall, students choose a topic related to an annual theme and conduct extensive primary and secondary research. Students may choose to work individually or in small groups.
After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, students then present their work in original papers, exhibits, performances, Web sites and documentaries. These projects are entered into competitions in the spring at local, state, and national levels where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators.
The program culminates with the national competition held each June at the University of Maryland.
Each year National History Day uses a new theme to provide a lens for students to study history. The theme for 2008 is “Conflict and Compromise in History.” These themes frame the research for both students and teachers. The theme is intentionally broad enough that students can select topics from any place (local, national, or world history) and any time period.
Once students choose their topics, they investigate historical context, historical significance and the topic’s relationship to the theme.
