Contact:
Jeff Morgan, Jeff.Morgan@iowa.gov, (515)
281-3858
(DES
MOINES) – Four Iowa students will join
National History Day students from six other states
to present their work for NHD’s national competition
at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Wednesday.
The four – Derek Appley, Marissa Harvey, Anthony
Miller and Caine Westergard – are students at
Akron-Westfield Community School in Akron, Iowa. They
will perform their work, “Amelia Earhart: Taking
a Stand by Taking to the Skies,” which they
created under the supervision of teacher Colleen Westergard.
“I’m excited these students have the
opportunity to present their work on the national
stage,” said Anita Walker, director of the Iowa
Department of Cultural Affairs, which oversees SHSI
and the NHD program in Iowa. “Their performance
at the museum is a fitting tribute to the hard work
they did to reach the national competition.”
The Iowa students, among 14 selected to present their
projects at the museum, are part of a larger group
of more than 2,000 finalists – including 48
Iowa students – participating in the NHD national
contest this week at the University of Maryland. The
young historians bring with them the products of months
of research and creative presentations in the form
of research papers, dramatic performances, documentaries
and exhibits. Iowa had four national winners last
year.
More than a student competition, NHD is a campaign
to change the teaching and learning of history in
U.S. classrooms. The program is having a profound
impact on education and received the Charles Frankel
Prize for Public Programming from the National Endowment
for the Humanities. Through publications and education
programs, NHD trains teachers to move students beyond
textbooks and expand their classrooms to include libraries,
museums and archives. More information is available
at www.nhd.org.
NHD in Iowa has been coordinated by the State Historical
Society of Iowa since 1994. Major funding comes from
the State Historical Society of Iowa, Inc. of Iowa
City, a federal earmark, the American Legion of Iowa
Foundation and Cargill. More information about NHD
in Iowa is available at www.iowahistory.org
or by contacting Naomi Peuse at 515-281-6860 or naomi.peuse@iowa.gov.
The State Historical Society of Iowa is a trustee
of Iowa’s historical legacy and an advocate
for understanding Iowa’s past. It identifies,
records, collects, preserves, manages and provides
access to Iowa’s historical resources. Its dual
mission of preservation and education serves Iowans
of all ages, conducts and stimulates research, disseminates
information, and encourages and supports historical
preservation and education efforts of others throughout
the state.
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