Students to make history come alive at Shoreline Center on Friday, March 13

This information is from a Shoreline Schools news release. It was sent to us by Craig Degginger, Public Information Officer for Shoreline Public Schools

Students from 19 public and private schools in north and east King County and Bainbridge Island will present their original research on Friday, March 13, during the North Puget Sound Regional History Day contest at Shoreline Center.

The culmination of a year-long program in which students choose and research a topic, learning historical research principles and strategies, North Puget Sound Regional History Day is part of a national effort to enhance history education and prepare students to become informed and involved citizens.

At the Shoreline event, more than 400 students in grades 6-12 take part by conducting research and presenting their results in one of five categories: exhibits, papers, multimedia documentaries, original performances and websites. They work as individuals or in groups of up to five members. Students are participating from the Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Lake Washington, Mercer Island, Northshore, Seattle and Shoreline school districts. Private schools participating include Eastside Catholic and Seattle Prep.

More than 2,000 students will take part in seven regional contests held around the state, competing in the junior (grades 6-8) or senior divisions (grades 9-12). They hope to qualify for the state competition at the Green River Community College on Saturday, April 25.

The top two finishers in each category will compete in the national contest, June 13 - 18 at the University of Maryland, College Park.

“The regional contest gives students a chance to get some good feedback on their projects,” said North Puget Sound History Day Regional Coordinator Randy Schnabel, a retired Shorewood High School history teacher. “It’s not unusual to see projects that are college-level or better. Students put their heart, soul and brain into their research, and it shows.”

This year’s contest theme is “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies.” Students have applied the theme creatively, according to Schnabel. “History Day students have done extensive research on a wide variety of topics, and the results are impressive.”

Preliminary round judging begins at 9 a.m. on March 13, and final round judging commences at 12:30 p.m. As part of the judging, students are interviewed about their project, and must provide a complete bibliography and a paper describing their research process.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m. in the Shoreline Center Auditorium. The Center is located at 18560 1st Ave. N.E. in Shoreline.

Link to Shoreline Schools