8th Annual Montgomery County History Day
Saturday, March 15
For those of us who love history, Montgomery County History Day is a chance to hear students cheering for it! It’s a sound that the MCHS staff never tires of hearing and which always astounds us. Each year MCHS hosts History Day, which is the local competition for National History Day. Little by little the number of schools and students participating grows. This year over 3000 students from 25 schools are participating at the school level. We anticipate 350 students will be presenting projects at the county competition. These projects fall into one of five categories–papers, exhibits, documentaries, performances and, new this year, web sites. Because of the additional category, we will be able to send 32 projects to the state finals. In addition to the winning projects, MCHS has a number of special prizes sponsored by county organizations which come with a cash award:
• Archaeology Prize–PFB Consult
• African-American Education–Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Chapter of Association for the Study of African American Life and History
• Civil War–Civil War Roundtable
• Expression of African-American History–Potomac Valley Chapter of the National Council of Negro Women
• Citizenship Participation in Government–The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, Inc.
• Women’s History–Business and Professional Women
• Interracial Relations–Friends of Oakley Cabin & the Underground Railroad
• Charles Jacobs Special Prize for Local History– Montgomery County Historical Society and the Boyds Historical Society.
MCHS is grateful to these organizations and businesses who, by sponsoring these prizes, recognize the value of history education and National History Day. We also want to thank Columbia Gas and the Maryland Humanities Council for helping to fund Montgomery County History Day.
Another contribution to History Day is the time given by the wonderful volunteers who judge all the student projects. Over 120 people are needed to make the day go smoothly and be a rewarding experience for everyone involved. It isn’t too late to volunteer! Only a few hours of your time could make a huge difference to the students who participate. History Day will be held at Julius West Middle School in Rockville at the intersection of Great Falls Rd and Falls Rd. You need not be an historian to judge, but you must have an interest in history, some knowledge of research techniques and the ability to relate tactfully and thoughtfully to the students. To volunteer call Emily Correll at 301-340-2825 or ecorrell@montgomeryhistory.org. For a judges form, please click here.