Twenty-six Students Represent Alaska at the National History Day Contest: June 13-17th

Twenty-six students from Anchorage, Fairbanks, North Pole, and Haines represented Alaska at the National History Day contest held at the University of Maryland in College Park in June!  Students met with our Congressional Delegation, toured the White House, and the monuments and museums in and around our Nation's Capital.

Anchorage students Challis Debenham, Mia Keyser, and Hallie Whitmore won the Outstanding State Award for Junior Division for their documentary on the history of plastic!  North Pole students Chanda File, Ashley Kaufman, and Jessica Wright took the Outstanding State Award for the Senior Division for their documentary on Civil War photography.  Congratulations to each of you!

Also representing Alaska at the National History Day contest were:
 
Chevy Fowler of Haines with his exhibit on the Daguerrotype camera;

Alaina Hawley of Anchorage with her paper on the discovery of radium;

Jessica Fontaine and Sydney Laudon of Anchorage with their exhibit in the pill;

Rebecca Hoshaw of Anchorage with her documentary on the artificial limb;

Collin Dieckgraeff of Anchorage with his documentary on Louis Armstrong's contribution to jazz;

Keenan Price and Dawson Glover of Anchorage with their documentary on radar;

Kalie Suellentrop of Anchorage with her website on the invention of the radio;

Nicholas Brenner of North Pole with his exhibit on Norman Borlaug's contribution to the agricultural revolution;

Kelly White, Kathryn Stalker, Taylor Simington of North Pole with their exhibit on the polio vaccine;

Tyler Brose of Fairbanks with his website on artillery;

Emma Osimowicz of Fairbanks with her exhibit on war horses;

Shannyn Bird and Lina Heinrichs of Fairbanks with their exhibit on the history of hypodermic syringes;

Kate Harrod and Christine Frandsen of Fairbanks with their exhibit on Title IX; and

Dawson Aicher of Anchorage with his paper on the cinematograph.

Alaska's students competed with nearly 3,000 other students from 49 states, American Samoa, Guam, Department of Defense Schools Europe, and International Schools - Asia.

Congratulations to each of you for your accomplishment!

2011 Theme: Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences

Debate and Diplomacy in History is an exciting theme because students can find topics everywhere!  The best way to understand the theme is to define each word.  Debate and Diplomacy are broad categories.  Topics will focus on a debate or diplomatic event.  To understand all possible meanings students should go to a dictionary, think about the different meanings and brainstorm possible research topics under each definition.  The key to topic selection is to articulate its connection to the theme.

If a student is interested in debates they might consider the Lincoln/Douglas debates over slavery or the debate over the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971.  Topics related to diplomacy include the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis or Benjamin Frankin's Diplomatic Mission to England.  In selecting a topic it is important for students to limit the scope of their topic to make the research and interpretation of their topic manageable.

Curriculum guides will soon be available.  To request a guide please select the "Contact Us" button at left and send a message to the state coordinator.

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National History Day in Alaska would like to thank its sponsors!  The National Park Service, Alaska Historical Society, Alaska Airlines, and National Archives and Records Administration - Pacific Alaska Region, were joined this year by the Alaska Association for Historic Preservation in their support of the National History Day program in Alaska.  Since 1989, sponsors like these have helped National History Day in Alaska grow and improve our program.  Thousands of Alaska students have participated in the National History Day program and more than 300 have gone to the National History Day contest as a result of their support.


Thank you for your sponsorship!