For Immediate Release:                                            Contact:  Mary Katherine Marshall

June 20, 2011                                                                mmarshall@scdah.state.sc.us/803-896-6124

South Carolina Students Compete to Win in the National History Day Competition

COLUMBIA, SC — South Carolina students from around the state competed in the annual National History Day (NHD) competition, held at the University of Maryland College Park Campus in the Washington, D.C. area June 12 – 16.

“We are incredibly proud of our students for all of the time and effort they put in to their projects,” said SC NHD State Coordinator, Mary Katherine Marshall. “These students have not only deepened their understanding of their chosen topics, but have also been energized by learning. This program truly brings history to life for students.”

Representing the Palmetto State at this year’s national competition were sixty-three middle and high school students who each developed entries based on this year’s theme: Debate & Diplomacy: Successes, Failures, Consequences. Entries included group and individual projects in all categories and at both the Junior and Senior Levels in performance, exhibits, documentaries, historic paper and website.

NHD is a year-long academic organization for elementary and secondary school students focused on the teaching and learning of history. A recent study by Rockman, et al found students who participate in NHD develop a range of college and career-ready skills, and outperform their peers on state standardized tests in multiple subjects, including reading, science, math and social studies. 

The program annually engages more than half a million students across the nation.  Students research history topics of their choice related to an annual theme and create exhibits, documentaries, performances, and papers, which they may enter in competitions at the district, state, and national levels. 

More than 300 historians and other education professionals evaluate the work of over 2,000 students at the NHD contest. Over $250,000 in scholarships and cash prizes were awarded at the awards ceremony this year. 

The South Carolina Archives and History Foundation is pleased to have given more than $5,000 in scholarships to SC students thanks to the program’s generous sponsors including:  The Lipscomb Family Foundation, Humanities Council SC, The SC Archives and History Foundation, Wells Fargo, NHD, BCBS of SC and many more.

For more information on NHD, visit www.nhd.org.

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About National History Day

National History Day (NHD) is a year-long academic organization for elementary and secondary school students. Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of teachers nationwide participate in the NHD contest. Students choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive primary and secondary research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews and historic sites. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, students present their work in original papers, websites, exhibits, performances and documentaries. These products are entered into competitions in the spring, at local, state and national levels where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. The program culminates in a national competition each June held at the University of Maryland at College Park.

 Visit www.nhd.org.

SC Archives and History Foundation Elects New Slate of Officers

COLUMBIA, SC–The South Carolina Archives and History Foundation would like to welcome their newly elected officers to the Executive Committee:  Chairman—X. Willard Polk of Camden; Vice-Chairman—Eric Wm. Ruschky of Columbia; Treasurer—Wm. Frank Lee of Lugoff; Secretary—Ruth “Lady” Hodges of Edgefield; At Large Members are—The Honorable Gary E. Clary of Central, and Charles P. Boyd of Atlanta.

 
Officer Elections were held last Monday, July 18 at the SC Archives and History Center on Parklane Road in Columbia at the quarterly board meeting with unanimous approval by the Foundation’s Board of Directors. 

The South Carolina Archives and History Foundation’s full Board of Directors includes:  Frank Beattie of Georgetown, Curtis Campbell of Orangeburg, Kathryn D. Durham of Columbia, Walter Edgar of Columbia, Eric Wm. Emerson of Columbia, A. V. Huff of Greenville, Phil Noble of Charleston, and Rodger E. Stroup of Columbia. 

The South Carolina Archives & History Foundation supports the efforts of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. It is the caretaker of the South Carolina Archives, a collection of more than 325 years of historical documents recording the rich and diverse history of the people and government of South Carolina.  In addition to preserving the documentary and cultural history of the Palmetto State, the Department also administers a variety of programs through the State Historic Preservation Office that help identify, recognize and preserve the state's architectural and archaeological heritage.  

For more information on how you can support the SCHAF, please call 803.896.6124 or visit www.palmettohistorysc.org. 

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