Washington History Day

Washington Students Covered with Glory at National History Day

Greetings, History Dayers! State coordinator Lauren Danner reporting from the home office this morning. I just watched the National History Day awards via webcast on the History Channel. Although there's nothing like being there in person, it's a lot of fun to hear "From Washington,...." called out so many times! Well worth getting up at 5:30am to log on.

Washington reached a new high this year as Amy Christianson of Stanwood won National History Day's top prize, the David van Tassel Scholarship. This four-year, all-expenses-paid scholarship offers Amy the chance to study at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Amy is home-schooled and this is her second year at nationals.

Amy and her sister, Audrey, took the gold medal for senior group exhibit for their project on the spotted owl.  It's Audrey's second gold; she won two years ago in junior individual exhibit too!

Bothell's Dana Floberg won bronze for her senior paper on the Treaty of Versailles, and Sequim's Hillary Smith won bronze for her junior paper on Belva Lockwood, the first woman to argue before the United States Supreme Court.

Simone Prince-Eichner of Lummi Island won silver for her junior individual performance on Makah whaling, and Coupeville's Laura Harkins won the first-ever gold awarded in the junior website category for her project on Northwest Coast potlatching.

Ruthie Hawley of Silverdale (senior individual documentary) and Tessa King of Redmond (junior individual performance) each won Outstanding State Medals.

Nathan Maris of Sammamish won the United States Marine Corps History Special Prize.

Other top finishers for Washington:
4th place, junior individual performance, Tessa King, Redmond
5th place, junior group exhibit, Helen Lee and Sophie Fleuret, Redmond
6th place, senior individual documentary, Ruthie Hawley, Silverdale
7th place, junior group performance, Anna Tran, Alyssa Crosby, Maddie Bear, Vancouver
7th place, junior individual documenary, Erin Altenhof-Long, Vancouver
8th place, junior group exhibit, Emily Najar and Madalyn Schei, Stanwood
10th place, senior website, Ryan Knott and Bojan Francuz, Stanwood
13th place, senior individual performance, Emily Kreifels, Silverdale

And although we don't really keep track, Washington placed second in the category medal count, winning more than any state except Iowa.  Congratulations to all our Washington History Day students who competed at nationals!

Mark Vessey, assistant state coordinator, led the delegation this year and reports that everyone had a great time, especially him. He sends special thanks to the students, teachers and parents for making the trip a success.  The group arrives at SeaTac tonight and will spend the weekend resting up after an action-packed week. Thanks again, everyone!

Our Final Night in College Park...

Hello History Day Fans,

It’s time for our last posting from here in DC. We’ve all had a great time and we’re looking forward to the awards ceremony on Thursday to see how we did as a state. J We’ve had a few days with rain and thunderstorms to liven things up, but otherwise, the weather has been very pleasant.

Today Len, Rachel and I took an afternoon trip into DC and hit a couple of art museums.  We are now getting ready for our 3^rd Annual Film and Performing Arts Festival. Time for me to pass the keyboard over to Len for some keen insight so I can sit back and relax for the show.

Well I almost have my first History Day in the books.  Overall……not bad.  I was not sure what to expect considering all I was told was, “Can you go to DC and get 80 people on a plane?” I generally live by the idea that I can do anything so I said yes. The plane ride, checking in, and getting settled were a breeze. Getting up as early as Mark, not so much. I do know if you have to go back to sleep after you eat breakfast you are waking up too early.  By Wednesday, Rachel and I had laid down the law and said we were not eating breakfast before 8am. Nothing like putting your foot down on the next to the last day.

Watching the performances, documentaries and seeing the exhibits was a good time. I was impressed with the high quality of the work. I know if it were a 17 year old me I would just glue a picture onto a cereal box and call it a day. As much fun as I have had, I am looking forward to getting back and listening to the hoots and honks of my pups Mazie Beagle and Jean-Pierre. Congratulations everyone and good job!

This History Day Princess is a bit wilted, but otherwise feeling pretty fine about this, my fourth year traveling to DC with the Washington delegation.  I’ve had a great time, per usual, and there are almost too many highlights to list.  There was a lot of laughter (both due to the students, and our newbie History Day staffer, Len); some tears (Simone, Rachel, and Livi know what I’m talking about); but not too many late nights, as Mark was, as anyone who knows him can attest, is a brilliant planner and task-master.  Len even convinced me to go into DC and I had a great time!  In the end, when it’s all said and done, I am so proud of ALL the students; they are the best part of History Day and make all the craziness worthwhile.   I will miss them all…until next year!!

And with that, I will bring this blog to a close. I’ve had a great time serving as Lauren’s back-up leading this fun and friendly group to DC. I’d like to thank everyone for being so flexible and easy to hang and work with. We’ve all had fun, and now it’s time to head back to the real Washington…Washington STATE!!

Thanks everyone and happy travels!

Tuesday Highlights...

Hello again History Day fans,

Another fun and exciting day here in DC. Today was the seniors day for competition and I'm happy to report that we have two seniors moving on to the final round Wednesday. In the Senior Individual Documentary division Ruthey Hawley made it to the next round with her documentary on Rachel Carson's Life and Legacy. And in the Senior Individual Performance division, Emily Kreifels made it with her performance on Rosie the Riveter. Way to go girls, good luck Wednesday.

At this time I would like to introduce a new feature to the History Day Blog...Guest Blogger!! We've got with us this year, a new staffer Len Balli and this is her first trip to DC, and she would like to take a few minutes to share some of her experiences with you all.

Without further ado...Len...

Ok as the History Day Rookie, I was hoping to have an original thought about all this but all I can think of is...this place is nuts. Holy cow, nothing but wall to wall kids, parents and crazies. But this place has a Chick-fil-A so all is well. I'm having a good time watching the kids and bragging daily to Rachel and Mark that I have a private bathroom and they do not. Suckers. These guys also can't make a sign to save their life. Thank goodness I'm here. Final performances tomorrow and then the Spy Museum. Good Times. PS if you ever need a tour of DC ask around for a guy named Aurthor. Trust me.

OK, check back tomorrow for our final posting.

A dry morning leads to a wet afternoon...

Hello Happy History Day Fans,

We're having another exciting day here in sunny/rainy DC. :-)

The day started out warm and bright and everyone was all smiles, but by late afternoon the weather had gone from sunny to soggy. For those of us caught in the downpour of a southeast thunderstorn, it wasn't so sunny and happy any longer.  The lightening wasn't all that spectacular, nor was the thunder, but the rain that came down was definitely an eye-opener. As you can see from the picuture (at left) of two of your fearless leaders, Mark and Rachel, we got a wee bit wet coming back from contest headquarters. The third member of our party, (Len) was already back to the dorms and missed the excitement of the rain. She was, of course, all-to-happy to open the dorm door for us and snap a few pictures.

We're very happy to report this evening that four of our juniors made it on to finals. Both Tessa King and Simone Prince-Eichner from our junior individual performance category made it through to finals, and Anna Tran, Alyssa Crosby and Maddie Bear made it to finals in the junior group performance category. Erin Altenhof-Long, a junior individual documentary competitor,is the fourth Washingtonian to make it through to the next round. WAY TO GO WASHINGTON!!!

Tuesday will be another exciting day filled with senior judging in the morning and afternoon, followed by junior finals in the evening.

Check back later for more from this end. :-)

Get ready UMD, here comes Washington!

Good morning/afternoon (depending on your timezone) True Believers:

Your intrepid Pretty, Pretty Princess of History Day here!  Well, per usual, College Park is hot and humid, but the forecast calls for cooler (80-85) and sunny days starting Monday so we'll be sitting pretty in the next couple of days.  Besides, we have the Official Weather Luck Charm of the Washington Delegation, Mark Vessey, with us.

Most of the delegation managed to get here without incident.  In fact, the group travelers managed to sneak into DC with a huge weather front right on their tail; they shut all the DC airports as soon as their plane hit the group.  Unfortunately, we ended up with families scattered at airports all over the mid-eastern states.  What a horrible way to start a History Day trip!  But we know they'll get here soon and commence having a great time!

Last night we had our annual Pizza Party/Reception/Orientation.  Everyone enjoyed the delicious pizza (nice job, Washington History Man!) and learned about their schedules and responsibilities while on campus.  Early this morning, students took a brief, pleasant walk over to Stamp Student Union, where they registered and learned their judging time and location.  Most students then headed into DC to visit museums, do a little shopping, and generally just relax before judging starts tomorrow (Juniors have preliminary judging on Monday; Seniors will have preliminary judging on Tuesday) .  Tonight the delegation will go on our annual guided Night Tour of the monuments, including the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and the World War II Memorial. 

Well, it's time for this princess to get back to work (we've got information to post!).  Stay tuned for more exciting details!

Cheers,
PPPoWHD

Caped superhero to head Washington delegation to national contest

The Washington History Day state delegation is completing their packing and gearing up for five days of fun in Washington, DC, at the National History Day competition next week.  Once again we've got a record number going--about 150 students, teachers, family members and friends--with more than 100 staying in the on-campus dorms.

This year's group is led by Mark Vessey, known to many of you as Washington History Man. He probably won't wear the cape much during the day, but can occasionally be glimpsed patrolling the dorm hallways at night. Also staffing the trip are former assistant coordinator Rachel Lilley--you may have seen her at the state contest awards ceremony; she was the one waving the wand--and WSHS staffer Len Balli.

Mark, Rachel, Len and some students and teachers will be posting here throughout the week, so stay tuned to catch the latest news from the national contest. And in the meantime, best of luck to all our terrific History Day students!

Lauren Danner
State Coordinator

Register Now for Fall Teacher Workshops!

Fall 2007 National History Day teacher workshop registration is now open! If you are looking for an effective, seamless way to integrate CBAs into your curriculum; are interested in facilitating interdisciplinary learning with real-life experience; and want to use primary source research but aren't sure about online resources, our teacher workshops are tailor-made for you. The workshops provide educators the tools to successfully implement History Day in the classroom, including sessions on CBAs, project preparation, source analysis, research resources and more.

For educators new to Washington History Day, our teacher workshops are a great way to learn not only the basics of the program, but also the key elements in creating a History Day project and how History Day meets Washington State Classroom Based Assessment requirements.

Earn clock hours and enjoy lunch while learning new techniques and connecting with other teachers. Choose your workshop and click to register:

Spokane, Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, September 29, 2007
Tacoma, Washington State History Museum, September 29, 2007
Seattle, University of Washington, October 6, 2007
Vancouver, Pleasant Valley Middle School, October 20, 2007

Washington Students Wow the Competition

Washington usually does well at nationals--we have amazing students who conduct thorough research and present it cogently and convincingly. But this year, well, this year was exceptional.

Each year 28 projects go to nationals, one from each category (senior individual performance, junior group exhibit, etc.). This year, 12 of our projects made finals--more than 40 percent. And when the medalists were announced, Washington really shined.

Bothell High School's Rebecca Smith won gold for her senior paper on "Big Hugh" Bennett and the Soil Conservation Service.

Ashley Hall of Stanwood High School won silver for her senior individual exhibit on the Triangle Factory Fire.

Katherine and Brianna Lacy won silver for their junior group exhibit on the Grand Coulee Dam.

And, remarkably, Redmond Junior High took gold and silver in junior group documentary: Anand Narayanan, Arjun Raghuraman, Anthony McNicoll and Jake Levin took gold for their film on the Great Seattle Fire, and Raluca Ifrim and Koyo Kim took silver for their project on Galloping Gertie.

Will Chan and Tim Tan of Shorewood High won the senior outstanding state award for their 4th-place documentary on China's one-child policy.

Helen Lee of Sunrise Elementary won the junior outstanding state award for her 5th-place exhibit on the Triangle Factory Fire.

Nic Jensen, Madalyn Schei and Emily Najar of Port Susan Middle School took 6th for their junior group exhibit on Pearl Harbor.

Finishing eighth in their categories were: Anya Eber (Bainbridge High School) for her senior performance on Mary Boykin Chesnut; Luke Jensen (Bainbridge High School) for his senior documentary on the Wilkes Expedition; Neil Carlson and Shona Voelckers (Stanwood High School) for their senior exhibit on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and Laura Harkins (Coupeville Middle School) for her junior documentary on the Triangle Factory Fire.

And, Bainbridge's Luke Jensen was the inaugural winner of the Benjamin Franklin Legacy Award, given to a senior student in the spirit of Ben Franklin. Luke will participate in a roundtable of American intellectuals next year, chaired by the 2008 Franklin Laureate, Meryl Streep, and will help select next year's Legacy Award winner. Even though Luke graduated last week, he'll be coming back to History Day one more time--and we are so thrilled!

Some pictures of the awards ceremony and medalists (remember, click on the image to get a bigger picture):

 

In the second and the last photo, you'll notice that we acquired a new superhero as of 2007--that's Washington History Man, who led the delegation during the parade of states and shared his superhistorypower throughout the contest. Thanks, Washington History Man!

To put Washington's showing in perspective, let me offer two facts: first, there are only 42 category medals handed out at nationals. Our students won more than one-tenth of them; and second, Washington placed third out of all states competing. Only Texas (7) and California (6) earned more category medals--and those of you familiar with History Day know that both state have much bigger programs.

We always say History Day is NOT about the medals, and that is still true. We are proud of every one of the 4,000 students in Washington who completed a History Day project. It's a big undertaking and requires dedication and focus well beyond the norm. They are all winners, and we're just privileged to get to work with them.

I'll be posting more pictures from the contest next week, including Wednesday night's performance festival in the dorms, the rain-soaked night tour of monuments, and more. Congratulations, Washington!

More Tuesday night frolicking

So what if it's 10:30 at night? So what if finals are almost over and everyone's kind of punchy? That's the perfect time to have an impromptu film festival, according to our students. Coupeville teacher Wilbur Purdue got his projector, someone hung a sheet, and the documentaries started rolling. The kids crowded in front to see each other's work, and then--a moment that the adults savored--started asking each other questions: about their sources, their objectives, their processes, their projects.  I called it a night around 12:30am, but I hear the fun went on until after 1:30am.

Tonight, after what will be a rain-soaked night tour of the monuments in DC, the students will return for part two of the festival: this time, the performances. So what if we need to pack and be at the awards at 8:30am tomorrow morning? This is way too cool. We'll learn about the Salem Witch Trials, Johan Gutenberg, Frederick Douglass, and more--and the fun part is that the performers and audience will probably be in PJs for the show.

It's been on-and-off thunderstorms here today, and it's raining pretty steadily now (I have pix from the film festival, but am losing wireless frequently and so I won't post them tonight). Mark and Rachel are each leading a bus full of students, teachers and parents through the Lincoln, Vietnam Veterans', World War II, Jefferson, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt monuments, plus drive-bys of the Washington Monument, White House and Capitol. It's a momentous way to cap the trip.

Tomorrow it's off to the awards. We'll start by parading around the floor of Cole Field House, wearing our Washington History Day t-shirts (designed by History Day parent Bill Smith, whose daughter Rebecca is competing here in the senior paper category) and waving our Washington State flags. The ceremony starts around 9am and will last until 11:30ish, at which point we'll head for the dorms and the bus to the airport. Personally, I'm hoping for nice weather and no delays. Send good karma our way, okay ?

Tuesday night craziness

Most of the judging is over--so most of the pressure is off--and students are starting to let off some steam. Not just students, actually:

      

A rowdy group card game (no gambling, though).

The grown-ups indulge in a rousing game of pinochle.

The detritus of History Day.

On the far right, that's your faithful state coordinator working away--blogging, probably--as everyone else lets their collective hair down.

Finally, another great cinematic moment. Sequim's Dalton Ackley puts his performance talents to work with his version of Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle." Download the video: Download MVI_1011.AVI  That's it for tonight. We're getting ready for an impromptu documentary screening--and it's getting even crazier in here.