Students to make history come alive at Shoreline Center March 20

A history day exhibit
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Students from 20 public and private schools in north and east King County will present their original research on Wednesday, March 20, during the North Puget Sound Regional History Day contest at the Shoreline Center, 18560 1st Ave NE, Shoreline 98155, 

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 regional event, nearly 500 students in grades 6 to 12 will take part by conducting research and presenting their results in one of five categories: exhibits, papers, multi-media documentaries, original performances and websites. They work as individuals or in groups of up to five members. Students are participating from the Lake Washington, Mercer Island, Northshore, and Seattle school districts. Private schools participating include Lakeside Upper School, Lake Washington Girls Middle School, 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 Bellevue College on Saturday, May 4. The top two finishers in each category at state will compete in the national contest in June 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 "Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events." 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 9am on March 20, and final round judging commences at 1pm. 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 public is invited to view papers and Web sites beginning at 8:30  a.m., the documentaries and performances at 9am and the exhibits beginning at 11:45am. The awards ceremony is scheduled for 3:15pm in the Shoreline Center Auditorium. The Center is located at 18560 1st Ave NE in Shoreline.

Learn more about History Day.