Howard County to Host Regional History Day Competition

March 16th, 2017

The Howard County Public School System will host its 13th annual History Day Competition on Saturday, March 18, 2017, from 8 a.m.–1 p.m., at Reservoir High School. This year’s event, which is sponsored by the Office of Secondary Social Studies, includes 206 project entries presented by 304 students, representing 20 middle and five high schools. Central Office staff, Board of Education members, business partners, community members and over 85 teachers will volunteer as judges to evaluate student entries.

The county History Day program is a collaborative effort among classroom social studies teachers, gifted and talented resource teachers, media specialists, central office support staff, libraries, colleges, universities, and local historical institutions. Students, grades 6–12, worked for many months conducting historical research on a self-selected topic that relates to this year’s National History Day theme, “Taking A Stand in History.”

A research question guided students to explore and interpret both primary and secondary resources. After gathering data and research, students analyzed the information, drew conclusions and began creation of the History Day project entry to submit for review at the local school level prior to entering the countywide competition.

Students will present entries in five categories: exhibit, performance, multimedia documentary, research paper and website. HCPSS awards first, second and third place winners in each category. In addition, Special Awards sponsored by The Council of Elders of Howard County and by PFLAG of Howard County will be presented during the awards ceremony on March 18. The top two entries in each category from the Howard County regional contest will advance to the state contest, to be held April 29, 2017, at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The National History Day competition will be held June 11–15, 2017, at University of Maryland, College Park.

To learn more about Howard County History Day, contact Dr. Mark Stout at 410-313-6622.