2011 State Winners!!

Hey Washington History Day fans, check out the complete list of winners from the 2011 Washington State History Day contest held May 7, in Bellevue.

 Follow this link for 1-6 place along with all of the special award winners.

http://www.washingtonhistory.org/historyday/results/2011winners.aspx

Go team WA!!!

History Day State Contest information...PLEASE READ

History Day Teachers:

This email contains information you, your students and their families need to ensure a successful and enjoyable Washington History Day state contest. Please read it carefully and distribute it to your students and their families. We are looking forward to welcoming all 1,500 of you at Bellevue College on Saturday, May 7.

ARRIVAL:  For directions to Bellevue College, click here: http://bellevuecollege.edu/about/around/directions/main/.  At the very least, you should plan to be on campus one hour before your judging time.

When you arrive on campus, proceed to the registration tables in the lobby of the Gym (see attached campus/parking map). We suggest you park near the Gym, since that is the venue for the awards ceremony (the last event of the day), in lots 16, 17, or 18. Do not park in the parking garage, as it will be closed. Please refer to the attached campus/parking map for additional parking options (lots 6, 8, 10 and 12 are good options).

REGISTRATION: Students and teachers EACH need to pick up their own registration packets at the check-in tables in the Gym lobby. Please allow enough time to do this; your packets contain everything you need for the day. If you have outstanding fees, your registration will be held in contest headquarters so that payment can be made. Registration is open Friday night 5-8:30PM, and Saturday morning 7-10:30AM (after 10:30AM, registration moves to the lobby of Building C).

T-SHIRT SALES: History Day t-shirts will be on sale Saturday morning during registration in the Gym lobby. Please remember to bring cash or check only. There is a limited number available, so please get yours early before they are all sold out.

EXHIBIT SET-UP: The Gym will be open for exhibit set-up on Friday from 5-8:30PM and Saturday from 7-9:15AM only. Do not wait until the last minute to set up your exhibit; the gym will close promptly at 9:15AM for judging. Students must set-up their own exhibit; adult assistance is allowed only for exceptionally heavy or awkward pieces. Contest staff will monitor the Gym to ensure rule compliance. Exhibit students should bring seven (7) copies of their title page, process paper and bibliography. Three (3) copies should be left with the exhibit just before judging begins on Saturday; judges will take these with them. After the preliminary round judging ends, students should return to their exhibits by 1:45PM and leave three (3) copies for final round judging in the afternoon. The extra copy is for emergencies—and there are always emergencies, so be sure to bring enough copies with you.

GENERAL SCHEDULE: The general schedule for the contest is attached. Please print, copy and distribute as needed. The schedule provides important information about judging times and policies, meals, and public viewing of exhibits, websites and papers.

JUDGING: Exhibits, paper and website judging is closed to the public. All category judging begins at 10AM. Paper and website students need no paperwork; the judges already have it. Exhibit students will be called in a few minutes before their judge time by a volunteer stationed at the Gym door. This is your opportunity to freshen the exhibit, fix any loose ends, etc. Judges will introduce themselves and usually ask students to wait for a few minutes while they read the paperwork and look at the exhibit. Then they’ll conduct the interview. Each judging slot is 15 minutes long.

In performance and documentary categories, audience is welcome to attend but may not ask questions. Cell phones must be turned off and talking should be kept to a minimum to ensure that every student is offered the same opportunity and respect. In the preliminary rounds, performance and documentary students are allowed five minutes to set up, ten minutes to present their projects, and five minutes to tear down. Judges typically ask questions during the last five minutes. Students in these categories should bring seven (7) copies of their title page, process paper and bibliography—three for the morning round, three for the afternoon round if they advance, and one for emergencies.

The final round judging begins at 2PM, and interviews are not conducted in any category; the project must stand on its own. Students present their performance and/or documentary, including time for setup and tear-down, but there are no questions. Audience members are encouraged to attend all rounds and to cheer on all students.

FINALS POSTING SITE: Performance and documentary finalists will be posted in the cafeteria (Building C, ground floor) at approximately 1:15PM. Students who are advancing to finals should note their presentation time slot and proceed to the appropriate room to prepare. Room schedules will be posted in Buildings C, L, R and the Gym for easy navigation; sandwich boards will be set up around campus as well. Paper, website and exhibit finals are not posted; winners are announced at the awards ceremony.

MEALS: If you signed up for meals, tickets will be in the registration packet of the person who paid for the meals. Do not lose the tickets; they are not replaceable and are your only means of access to on-campus meals. Lunch is served 11:30AM-1:30PM; dinner is served 4:30-6PM. If you did not sign up for meals, you may purchase them on site ($11 lunch, $13 dinner). All meals will be served in the Cafeteria, ground floor of Building C. In addition, the coffee shop in the lobby of Building C will be open all day; it features a full espresso menu and assorted pastries and snacks. Vending machines are available in most buildings as well.

CAMPUS EVENTS: Bellevue College and its History Club have put together a number of great events to welcome History Day contestants to campus.

·         On Saturday, you’ll have the opportunity to meet with historians, librarians and archivists from around the state at the History Day Research Buffet, 2-5:30PM in the Cafeteria. This is a great chance to learn about different repositories and their resources, and get one-on-one advice about research.

·         Also keep an eye out for our own History Day photographer, Gwen Schweitzer. She’ll be snapping pics throughout the day.

AWARDS: The Awards Ceremony begins at 6:30PM in the Gym; doors open at 6PM. Sit with your teammates and cheer on everyone who completed a History Day project! Awards generally last 90 minutes. When awards end, only teachers may pick up packets with their students’ evaluation forms. Immediately after awards, the top finishers, their parents and teachers stay behind to talk about the national trip. This generally takes about 45 minutes and is absolutely essential.

CODE OF CONDUCT: History Day participants are guests on the Bellevue College campus and are expected to behave according to the codes of conduct of their schools and the NHD Rule Book. Contest coordinators may disqualify any student who violates this rule.

CONTEST PROGRAMS: Complete contest programs will be available for download from the Washington History Day website about three days before the contest. To keep printing costs down, we will not be offering printed programs this year; if you want a complete contest catalog, download and print it from our website here: http://washingtonhistory.org/historyday/events.aspx; it should be available there by May 3.

WHAT IF I LOSE THIS EMAIL? Never fear, this entire email will be posted on our blog, www.wahistoryday.blogspot.com.

Teachers, your students’ schedule will be sent in a separate email following this message. Please distribute to your students and their families.

As always, if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Thanks, and happy History Day!

How Do Historians Really Work?

At the suggestion of NHD Curriculum Director Ann Claunch, I recently read a fascinating book titled, Ain't Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry. Written by historian Scott Reynolds Nelson, it is a compelling narrative of how he tracked down the mythic subject of the well-known work song about John Henry, who was so strong that he beat a steam drill in a contest to dig a railroad tunnel, but then died.

Nelson wanted to find out about the real John Henry: did he exist? and if so, who was he, and why was he memorialized in the song? The book traces Nelson's historical hunt for John Henry, in a story that will keep young readers spellbound. This is how real historians do history, complete with primary and secondary sources, and plenty of dead ends, and it's a great model for History Day projects.

Without giving away the ending, it's useful to reprise one appendix that reviews six steps to being a historian:

1. Find out what is known already. In other words, review secondary sources.
2. Check the sources used by the authors of those secondary sources.
3. Find gaps and disagreements and formulate your own questions. In general, if every interpretation of a historical topic agrees, not enough research has been done. Where do authors differ, and why? 
4. Look for new evidence. As this book makes clear, you don't have to travel to investigate new historical leads. Be open to other explanations, then explore them.
5. Expand the search. In an excellent section, Nelson describes trying to find certain reports that were presumed lost. By using a variety of search methods, he eventually found them!
6. Share what you have found. Other readers might point out avenues of research you've inadvertently missed, or even come up with new interpretations of your findings.

 Ain't Nothing But a Man is geared toward students, and could be an excellent supplement to beginning history students in grades 6-8. But it's worth looking at no matter how experienced a historian you are. Older readers may also want to check out the 2006 book that resulted from Nelson's research, Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend, which has garnered multiple awards.

Not many books unpack the process of doing history, and fewer still are able to do so in the context of real historical research. That Nelson does both, and so engagingly, makes this book well worth reading.

Nelson, Scott Reynolds, with Marc Aronson. Ain't Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2008. 64 pp.

Wondrous Washington

What a team! You already saw that the Washington team left DC with an unprecedented number of medals, but more than that, this was a FANTASTIC group. All the kids, teachers, and families were a true pleasure to have along. That sounds like something I'm just saying, but really, this group was the BEST. Fun, good-spirited, smart, enthusiastic, and unparalleled button-traders. What more can you ask for?

Our Wednesday tradition is the Multimedia Festival, where students present their documentaries and performances in a casual setting (usually in pajamas, often without sets, etc.)

A banana is a good stand-in for a sextant. Who knew?

An orange kind of looks like a marine chronometer. Kind of.

Amanda (headless, sorry!), Alana, & Braydon reprise their performance about the radio.

Wednesday was Austin's 16th birthday, so his schoolmates gave him this shirt! And made him wear it! :)

Lauren & I got Austin this pretty sash and a tiny red sports car. It was Nancy's birthday too, so we got her a tiara and a stress-ball (for use during the awards ceremony).

"This presentation is brought to you by the number 3 and the letter B, the letter C, and the letter H." (Finalists--and 12th place finishers--Brittany, Cassie, & Hayley perform.)

Yup, still button trading!

Jackson & Dawson's documentary about the 747.

Justine's performance about Nazi propaganda.

Sarah got all the pins! One each from every participating state & territory!

Tian, Raluca, & Anand presented their documentary about the transcontinental railroad.

After the presentations, several students helped get the orcas ready for Thursday's Parade of States.

Ana & Jessica won the Senior Outstanding State award ...

... and placed 7th overall!

Brittany, Hayley, & Cassie placed 12th for their Sesame Street performance.

Yes, girls, that's you!

Bronze medal!

Emily & Maddy won the special award for immigration history.

Junior Outstanding State Award winner Heni ...

... placed 7th overall.

PBS Teacher of Merit Winner Tricia Billes can really carry off a tiara. (We gave it to her Wednesday night.)

Kalin Goss' documentary placed 11th overall.

Lynette got her last button during the Parade of States!

Yes Nathan, you won a silver medal!

It looks good!

But not as good as 2! (Nathan also won the Legacy Award.)

Samantha's documentary came in 11th overall. Awesome!

Sarah won a special award (Navy History Award) ...

... and placed 6th with her Senior Individual Exhibit.

Wesley & James' Junior Group Exhibit placed 6th overall!

And their teacher, Mrs. Billes, won Teacher of Merit, a huge honor for a history teacher!

This is a good-looking group ...

... and this is a better-looking group ...

... but does it get any better than this? Seriously guys, come back again! Next year's theme is a GREAT one!

-Gwen

History Day Helper & Paparazzo

(Photo DVDs of the trip available by e-mailing me: gwenschweitzer@me.com)

And the Winners Are...

Team Washington performed spectacularly well at the 2010 National History Day contest, with 15 students either placing in the top 14 in the country or winning a special award. As if that weren't enough,  Sequim Middle School's Tricia Billes was named the 2010 PBS Teacher of Merit, one of the highest national honors bestowed on a history teacher!

2nd - Nathan Maris, International Community School, Senior Individual Documentary
3rd - Abby Burlingame and Ceri Riley, International Community School, Senior Group Performance
6th - Sarah Sadlier, Charles Wright Academy, Senior Individual Exhibit
6th - James Reis and Wesley Gilchrist, Sequim Middle School, Junior Group Exhibit
7th - Heni Barnes, Coupeville Middle School, Junior Individual Documentary
7th - Ana Kirichuk and Jessica Jin, International Community School, Senior Web Site
11th - Kalin Goss, Junior Individual Documentary, Northshore Junior High
11th - Samantha Larson, Senior Individual Documentary, Kentwood High School
12th - Cassie Bliley, Brittany Beaudoin, Hayley McCarthy, Wy'East Middle School,Junior Group Performance

Junior Outstanding State Award - Heni Barnes, Coupeville Middle School
Senior Outstanding State Award - Ana Kirichuk and Jessica Jin, International Community School

Several students won special awards:
Maddy Schei and Emily Najar, Stanwood High School, Immigration History Award
Sarah Sadlier, Charles Wright Academy, Naval History Award
Nathan Maris, International Community School, Legacy Award

Washington students had a tremendous overall showing; every single one placed ninth or higher in the preliminary round, and nine advanced to finals. We'll post a contest debrief in the next day or so, once we get home and get a little sleep. Congratulations to everyone!

Seniors follow trail blazed by juniors

Those of you at home may not know the state staff (Empress Lauren, Washington History Man Mark, Loaner Minion Hallie, and I) try to cheer on each and every Washington student at their judge time. (Documentaries & performances are our priority, but we try to wish students good luck before paper, Web site, and exhibit interviews.)

Sometimes, though, the schedule (and the University of Maryland's huge, beautiful campus) doesn't cooperate. Today was one of those days: 13 of our 16 senior projects were presented between 10-11:40 am. So we apologized to those we just couldn't attend (4 11 o'clock interviews?!?!) and fanned out across campus to cheer on our team.

Paper contestant Lynette (Stanwood) & Lauren chat before her interview.

Connor, Austin, & Adam review their Web site minutes before meeting with the judges.

Justine gets some last-minute words of wisdom from her grandmother, Connie.

Mikael's exhibit is about the bicycle; he's also a wilderness responder!

Prosser's powerhouse trio (Alana, Braydon, & Amanda) gave a spot-on performance about the radio.

Set breakdown is a team sport. WOOSH!

The first time-slot after lunch is often stressful, but Sarah seemed calm as can be. Of course, she knows everything there is to know about the marine chronometer, so why worry?

Abby & Ceri gave a knock-out performance. Though Ceri told the judges that Abby's really "the actress," the audience--and judges--beg to differ. They're both phenomenal and will perform in the FINAL ROUND on Wednesday.

Stanwood's History Day team poses after their judge interviews (teacher Sabrina Shaw in front).

Tian & Anand are 2/3 of the lovely, brilliant, & ridiculously overachieving documentary team from Redmond High School.

Senior individual documentary FINALIST Samantha was the only Washington finalist actually present for finals postings. The other three kids (Nathan, Abby, & Ceri) headed off to the Crime & Punishment Museum because they were so nervous.

Yes, that's right. Our seniors ended up with the exact same results as our juniors: both individual documentaries and one group performance advanced to finals! Congratulations, all! GO WASHINGTON!!