NYS History Day Photos now Available!

You can view high-resolution photos from the 2011 State History Day contest at our online gallery: http://nyshd.zenfolio.com/

For a small fee, you can download any of the photos for your personal use or order prints, from wallet size to 8" x 10".

And they're not all from the awards ceremony! Be sure to check out all the galleries:

Performances

Exhibits

Papers, Documentaries & Websites

2012 Annual Theme

Hey everyone! First of all, thanks for an absolutely great History Day! Even with a broken arm, (studying history can be dangerous!) I had an amazing time getting to meet students, see projects and even interview some of you for a video that will be up on the NYSHD YouTube channel soon. I always have the best time just walking around the state competition, checking out the exhibits and websites, reading through a paper or two, and popping in to see a documentary or performance. For me, I always end the day wanting to know more about a million different topics. Does that happen to you? I’m always so impressed by the unique and interesting topics researched for History Day! I can’t wait for next year, especially since the 2012 theme will be… drumroll… Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.

It’s best to start broadly when thinking about a possible topic – maybe you’re interested in the role of New York in the American Revolution. This year’s annual theme sheet recommends:

“Rather than attempting to analyze and document an entire political revolution, you should look for more manageable topics such as ideas emerging from a particular revolution, specific events or factions within a revolution, or individuals who affected or were affected by a revolution.”

You can narrow down your topic to the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga, or Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys. Another definition of revolution is “a sudden or momentous change in a situation.” You could look at any of the riots that have occurred in New York, like the Stonewall riots in 1969, or the New York City draft riots in 1863. What specific events led to these outbursts, and how has history changed as a result?

Next year’s competition may seem far away, but it’s never too early to be thinking about your next topic! Be sure to check back on the NYSHD website for more topic ideas later this summer. Click here for the NHD Theme Sheet on Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History. Congrats to all the state winners and thanks to everyone who participated, the teachers who provided support and families too!

History Day Connects Buffalo Students to Hawai`i

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has recognized a New York State History Day group from International Preparatory School at Grover in Buffalo in a recent article in their monthly publication, Ka Wai Ola. High school seniors Mohamed Abu-Taha, Dawnte Dooling, Tressa Murray-Poston, James Shelvay and Mercy Walelo became interested in Hawaiian history when two representatives from the Pacific Justice and Reconciliation Center in Honolulu, Kaleo Patterson and Haaheo Guanson, visited their school. Additionally, the students found common histories between the struggles in Hawai‘i and their own backgrounds. “Because of where our families are from and the problems that happens in those countries, that makes it easier for us to understand the situation that happened in Hawai‘i,” said Abu-Taha, whose parents are from Palestine. The students will be presenting their website entry, which focuses on President Grover Cleveland’s work in support of Queen Lili‘uokalani, here in Cooperstown on April 29^th at the State Competition.

Check out the ‘Apelila (April) 2011 issue of Ka Wai Ola, available here to read more, and best of luck to all of this year’s entrants!

National Teacher Award Nominations

Do you know a teacher whose development and use of creative teaching methods gets students interested in history and helps them make exciting discoveries about the past?

Do you know a teacher who deserves recognition for their exemplary commitment to helping students develop their interest in history and recognize their achievements?

Every year New York State History Day has the opportunity to nominate our outstanding teachers for the PBS Teacher of Merit and the History Channel Service Award. This year, we also have the chance to nominate a teacher for the Patricia Behring Teacher Award.

The Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award recognizes outstanding NHD teachers. There are two state winners, one at both the junior level and senior level. The winners of the national awards will be selected from among the state awardees. To be eligible for the national award, a teacher must be a participant in the National History Day program with six years or more experience and be nominated by the state History Day coordinator.

We would love your nomination suggestions for these national awards. To nominate a canidate, please see below for eligibility criteria, and email us at nyshistoryday@nysha.org.

Nominations are due by April 13th.
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PBS Teacher of Merit

National History Day and PBS are pleased to announce the 2011 PBS Teacher of Merit Award for innovative history teaching. The award recognizes outstanding teachers at the state level and one exceptional history teacher at the national level. The eight finalists for this award will also be recognized at the national level, and each will receive a PBS video library.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible, a teacher must be a participant in the National History Day program with five years or less experience and be nominated by the state History Day coordinator. The evaluation criteria are as follows:

Development and use of creative teaching methods that interest students in history and help them make exciting discoveries about the past. Examples could include:

• Active learning projects, such as mock debates or oral history projects;
• Innovative use of primary sources;
• Integrated communication technology in history research and classroom learning;
• Teaching methods which link history to students’ broader interests (e.g., using interdisciplinary approaches to historical topics or by developing projects which link history to current events, debates, and issues); or
• The use of teaching methods which build a range of skills in students as they study history.
• Exemplary commitment to helping students develop their interest in history and recognize their achievements. Examples could include:
• Exemplary support and guidance for students working on History Day projects;
• Assistance in helping students showcase their history projects within the community and/or publish their material;
• Overall commitment to the intellectual development of individual students; or
• Encouragement of students to use their understanding of history to become engaged, informed citizens in their community and beyond.

History Channel Service Award

National History Day, in collaboration with The History Channel, is proud to announce the 12th annual History Channel Award for Service. The award, sponsored by The History Channel, will be presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to history education through service to the National History Day program.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible, the nominee must be a participant in the National History Day program and may be a teacher, media specialist, district or state National History Day coordinator, judge or parent. Nominees will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Success in involving students in the program at the district, state and national levels. The committee especially welcomes individuals who work within diverse communities.
• Service to the History Day program at all levels of the contests. Examples could include: mentoring new History Day teachers, judging, fund raising, publication of History Day materials, or strengthening the History Day community within a state or at the national level.
• Service to the discipline of history in general. Examples could include:
• Involvement in community projects that enhance people’s understanding and appreciation of history at the local level and beyond;
• Creative teaching in the classroom which helps students develop an appreciation of history;
• Collection of resources for history research in one’s community or state;
• Publication of history lesson plans; or
• Publication in professional journals of interest to history teachers and educators generally.
• Professional development. Examples could include: presentation at workshops, special courses or institutes, or publications.

PROCEDURES for NOMINATIONS

1. Anyone may propose nominees for this award. Letters of nomination must adhere to the following guidelines and must be no longer than two typed pages. Self nominations are accepted.
2. Describe the nominee’s position and the capacity in which he or she works with National History Day.
3. Explain the capacity in which the nominator has observed the work of the nominee.
4. Describe ways that the nominee has contributed to the advancement of the History Day program (i.e. judging, teacher workshops, coordination, etc.)
5. Provide examples of the ways that the nominee has made a difference in the lives of History Day students. Be sure to highlight what makes this individual unique.

The Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award

The Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award recognizes outstanding NHD teachers. Two state winners, one at both the junior level and senior level, will be selected from each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense Schools, International Schools-Asia and the U.S. territories. The winners of the national awards will be selected from among the state awardees.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible for the national award, a teacher must be a participant in the National History Day program with six years or more experience and be nominated by the state History Day coordinator. State level winners are determined by the state and years of experience for eligibility may vary from state to state. The evaluation criteria are as follows:

Development and use of creative teaching methods that interest students in history and help them make exciting discoveries about the past. Examples could include:

• Active learning projects, such as mock debates or oral history projects;
• Innovative use of primary sources;
• Integrated communication technology in history research and classroom learning;
• Teaching methods which link history to students’ broader interests (e.g., using interdisciplinary approaches to historical topics or by developing projects which link history to current events, debates, and issues); or
• The use of teaching methods which build a range of skills in students as they study history.

Exemplary commitment to helping students develop their interest in history and recognize their achievements. Examples could include:

• Exemplary support and guidance for students working on History Day projects;
• Assistance in helping students showcase their history projects within the community and/or publish their material;
• Overall commitment to the intellectual development of individual students; or
• Encouragement of students to use their understanding of history to become engaged, informed citizens in their community and beyond.

PROCEDURES for NOMINATIONS

1. Interested teachers should contact their state History Day coordinator.
2. The state coordinator will select the State History Day Teacher of the Year and write a letter of nomination for that person. In addition, the nominee should provide the state coordinator with three (3) letters of recommendation in support of the nomination. The letters should address the criteria provided above and be written by those who know the nominee well and can give specific examples of excellence in history teaching.
3. The teacher nominee will submit a testimonial about the impact of the NHD program on a class or an individual student. This testimonial should address aspects such as the teacher's role and the immediate and long term impact on the student(s)' academic or social growth.

Hello New York State!

Hey Guys! I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new History Day intern. My name is Mandy Kritzeck, I’m a student in the Cooperstown Graduate Program, graduating this May(!) and a former Minnesota History Day-er. Yes, that’s right - I traded in one snowy arctic tundra…for another snowy arctic tundra, but I love it! I am an absolute history nerd and I love History Day because I believe it is the perfect introduction for students into looking at the past in an interesting and engaging way.

I’m excited to be more involved with the program this year (you may or may not recall the History Day Minute Men videos from last year), and along with assisting in organizing the state competition, I am working on making video highlights of the amazing things that New York students are doing! At Minnesota, I was in charge of bringing the fun to the state competition; so look forward to new student activity areas, and a tell-all History Day confessional booth!

I’m looking forward to a great 2011 season!

2011 New York State History Day Special Awards Announced!

New York State History Day offers an array of Special Awards during the State Contest every year. Here is the full list of awards for the 2011 contest!

The Abner Doubleday Civil War Roundtable presents the Thomas W. Malone Award to an outstanding project focused on the Civil War.

The American Labor Studies Center - Kate Mullany National Historic Site presents the American Labor Studies Award to an outstanding project that focuses on American Labor history. See here for more information on this award.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians presents the Ancient Order of Hibernians Award to a project that focuses on Irish Heritage.

AWAIR: Arab World And Islamic Resources presents the Arab or Islamic History Award to an outstanding entry that illustrates the history of the Arab world, Islam, or the Arab-American or American Muslim experience. Awards are presented to the top Junior entry and the top Senior entry.

The Archives Partnership Trust presents the Archives Partnership Trust Award for outstanding use of primary sources for a New York State History topic in an individual entry.

Bassett Healthcare presents the Bassett Healthcare Award to an outstanding entry focused on the history of medicine or a health related event.

The Cooperstown Graduate Program presents the Cooperstown Graduate Program Award to an outstanding exhibit from a first time participant that portrays the topic in a clear, concise, and attractive manner.

The Department of History, SUNY Fredonia presents the Ethnic/Minority Studies Award for an outstanding Junior and Senior exhibit related to African-American or ethnic/minority topics.

Dr. Barbara Kalmar presents the Kalmar and Folk Family Award to an outstanding entry focused on Holocaust studies.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Library presents the National Baseball Hall of Fame Award to an outstanding project focused on the history of sports.

The National Maritime Historical Society presents the National Maritime Historical Society Award to an outstanding entry focused on a maritime-related topic, see here for full details.

The New York State Historical Association presents the New York State Historical Association Award to an outstanding project that focuses on the history of New York State.

The Farmers' Museum presents The Farmers' Museum Award to an outstanding project that focuses on the history or innovations related to agriculture.

Guided Tours of Cooperstown presents The Women's History Award to an outstanding project focused on women's history.

Museumwise presents the Museumwise Award for Excellence to an outstanding project that focuses on local and/or community history.

The West Kortright Centre presents the West Kortright Centre Award to an outstanding entry in the performance category.

This list can also be viewed at http://nyshistoryday.org/Awards.htm

New Special Award for State Contest!

Great news History Day students and teachers! New York State History Day is happy to announce a new Special Award at this year’s State Contest presented by the National Maritime Historical Society.

Founded in 1963, the National Maritime Historical Society is a not-for-profit membership organization whose mission is to raise awareness of our nation’s maritime heritage and the role seafaring has played in shaping civilization, through publications, educational programs, sail training and the preservation of historic ships.

For this year’s State Contest, NMHS has graciously offered to award these prizes to the top two very lucky History Day-ers (and teachers!) whose entries address a maritime-related topic:

First Prize:
For the students:

Complimentary membership in NMHS for 1 year, which includes the quarterly Sea History magazine.

Monetary award/scholarship of $150 per winning entry. (For group entries, the $150 award will be divided equally among the group.)

Certificate of Achievement.

Listing on the NMHS website, www.seahistory.org and in Sea History magazine.

For the teachers of the winning students:

Complimentary membership in NMHS for 1 year, which includes the quarterly Sea History magazine.

Listing on the NMHS website, www.seahistory.org and in Sea History magazine.

The two-volume set of Voyages: Documents in American Maritime History by Dr. Joshua M. Smith.
Volume I: The Age of Sail, 1492–1865
Volume II: The Age of Engines, 1865–Present

Second Prize:
For the students:

Complimentary membership in NMHS for 1 year, which includes the quarterly Sea History magazine.

Certificate of Achievement.

Listing on the NMHS website, www.seahistory.org and in Sea History magazine.

For the teachers of the winning students:

Complimentary membership in NMHS for 1 year, which includes the quarterly Sea History magazine.

Listing on the NMHS website, www.seahistory.org and in Sea History magazine.

With possible topics ranging from the La Amistad revolt to naval battles in the War of 1812, or even whaling and fishing history, it shouldn’t be hard to think of a maritime history topic that fits this year’s theme of Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences.

Be sure to check out NMHS’ website, www.seahistory.org, for more information on the history of the sea!

NYS History Day offers an array of Special Awards during the State Contest every year. To check out what Awards were presented last year, visit http://nyshistoryday.org/Awards.htm