Anyone who has participated in this activity looks back and remembers the countless nights dedicated to history research, the 20-page long bibliography or the nerve-racking moments you waited for the judge’s results. But don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it seems. In fact, many people look back and realize that History Day is one of the best things they participated in. So, what is History Day? What makes it nerve-racking and so incredible at the same time?

National History Day is a competition for sixth- through 12th-graders from all over the nation. Students perform intensive primary and secondary document research while traveling to local libraries, university libraries, museums and local, state and national archives. They conduct interviews with historical figures and experts. Students choose the format in which they would like to present their research. The categories they may choose from are: documentary (individual or group), website (individual or group), performance (individual or group), exhibit (individual or group) and historical paper (individual only). All entries are accompanied by a process paper and an extensive annotated bibliography.

There are three levels of competition: regional, state and national. The preliminary state competition occurred May 7 in front of a three-judge panel asking questions and making suggestions for improvement. The top two in each category then advance to nationals in Washington D.C. (with third place as an alternate). This year, HomeConnection was fortunate to have all three of its History Day students advance to the national competition in Washington, D.C. HomeConnection is the only high school in the state with three or more projects advancing, and therefore, the only school in the state with three or more entries with 100 percent advancement to nationals.

Join HomeConnection staff and students at Clover Valley School at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 23, for a presentation of the three students’ projects. HomeConnection is thrilled to have achieved such success this year.  The students and parents would like to thank Dr. Rick Schulte, superintendent of Oak Harbor School District; Mandy Mouw, principal of Home Connection; Randy Ross, adviser; and teacher Dena Royal for all of their support.