Students at Walnut Springs Middle School gathered on the evening of Friday, January 23 for the second annual Walnut Springs National History Day Showcase Night. It was a chance for more than 160 pupils to “showcase” their National History Day (NHD) projects. To conclude the night, participants were awarded Superior, Excellent and Good ratings, as well as Best of Show. This year a new addition was the Student Choice Awards, where competing students voted for projects fitting into several different superlative categories for awards.
Pupils conducted research as individuals and teams based on this year’s theme, “Leaders and Legacies,” which lead to the creation of historical papers, original performances, documentaries, creative exhibits and imaginative websites. The youngsters spent time both inside and out of school to conduct research, interviews and collect primary and secondary resources for their projects. They were directed by their teachers – Pat Schirtzinger, Tammy Saltzmann, Amber Ferguson, Jeffrey Holmes and Jean Trimble.
A “Best of Show” award was determined for each category, and those winners are: Best of Show Exhibit, Andrew Kalista; Best of Show Documentary, Marin Kalista; Best of Show Website, Madison Morrison; Best of Show Historical Paper, Patti Doud; and Best of Show Performance, Miriam Lang
Some students will compete in the National History Day District Competition on March 28 at Ohio Wesleyan University. Ohio’s statewide competition will follow Districts and Nationals is in June.
National History Day makes history come alive for students by engaging them in the discovery of the historical, cultural and social experiences of the past. Through hands-on experiences and presentations, today’s kids are better able to inform the present and shape the future. NHD inspires children through exciting competitions and transforms teaching through project-based curriculum and instruction. The program was recently awarded the National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama.