Howard County to Host Regional History Day Competition, March 17, 2018

March 16th, 2018

The Howard County Public School System will host its 14th annual History Day Competition on Saturday, March 17, at Reservoir High School in Fulton, Maryland. The open house for the public is from 12:30–2 p.m. in the cafeteria and documentary projects are shown in the auditorium from 2–2:30 p.m.

This year’s event, sponsored by the Office of Secondary Social Studies, includes 188 project entries presented by 282 students, representing 21 middle and seven high schools. Central Office staff, Board of Education members, elected officials, 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, “Conflict & Compromise 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, The Council of Elders of Howard County, the Howard County Historical Society and PFLAG of Howard County will present Special Honors during the Awards Ceremony at 2:30 p.m. on March 17. The top two entries in each category from the Howard County regional contest will advance to the state contest, to be held April 28, 2018, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The National History Day competition will be held June 10–14, 2018, at the University of Maryland, College Park.

To learn more about Howard County History Day, contact Dr. Mark Stout, HCPSS Coordinator for Advanced Programs and Secondary Social Studies, at 410-313-6622.