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About History Day

"National History Day is designed to help students learn to think like historians, exhibit their work in an authentic environment, and take ownership of their learning. "

Quote from Lynne M. O'Hara, Director of Programs, NHD

It engages young people in the active learning of history. 

  • Through research, analysis, and critical thinking, students develop the ability to interpret history and see how people, places, ideas, and creations change the course of the future. 

  • The skills developed to do the research and share a perspective based on that research are transferable to many academic areas, not just social studies! 

  • Creating a project cultivates time management, presentation, communication, and planning skills; life skills for any individual. 

  • In today's world of vast and readily available media, having the ability to assess authenticity, credibility, and reliability is a necessity. 

  • The variety of medium options available (historical paper, documentary, website, performance, and website) allows a student to choose between highlighting a strength or exploring a new area as a challenge.

Creating a National History Day project not only teaches a student about a particular project in-depth, it develops a wide range of skills! 

Nebraska National History Day (NE:NHD) is a non-profit education program based in Lincoln, NE, administered by Nebraska Wesleyan University. Each district contest is hosted by a local university or college. Established in 1985, NE:NHD offers academic programs that engage middle- and high-school students throughout Nebraska annually in conducting original research on historical topics of the student's interest. These research-based projects are entered into contests at the local level through the district contest, where the top student entries have the opportunity to advance to the State Contest at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln. Top ranking state contest projects have the opportunity to advance to the National Contest held at University of Maryland at College Park.    National History Day seeks to improve the quality of history education by providing professional development opportunities and curriculum materials for educators.
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