More Than 2,000 National Finalists Compete for Top History Awards at 2006 National History Day Competition June 11-15th

More Than 2,000 National Finalists Compete for Top History Awards at 2006 National History Day Competition June 11-15th

The History Channel(R) Honors Nation's Brightest Young Historians

NEW YORK, June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading historians, curators and even scientists have the challenging task of judging this year's more than 2,000 finalists as they compete for top awards and scholarship money as part of National History Day, Inc. (NHD), a yearlong education program for 6th through 12th-grade students. The History Channel(R), a leading sponsor of National History Day, provides $20,000 in cash prizes to four winning senior student projects as well as the Outstanding History Educator Award presented to a teacher who has made exceptional contributions to history education. The competition culminates this year on June 11 -15 at the University of Maryland.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051031/HISTORYLOGO )

The national finalist have emerged from a field of more than half a million middle and high school students who have competed at the district and state levels leading up to the finals. National History Day is successfully helping to invigorate the teaching and learning of history in schools across the country year round. Projects that make it to the finals often make history themselves.

This year's theme of "Taking a Stand in History: People, Ideas, Events" has inspired projects exploring the spectrum of historical figures and events. Students, from across the nation, have conducted in-depth research on topics such as the Colorado River War, the Women's Suffragists Movement, the Tiananmen Square uprising in China, and the Scottish War for Independence. Students have explored pivotal moments in the lives of notable historical figures such as Joan of Arc, Mahatma Ghandi, Dr. Alfred Kinsey, Thurgood Marshall, and Marion Anderson. The students have interviewed former Presidents of the United States, Nobel Prize winners and accessed National Security files in their original research projects on local history, national history and international history topics. Students present their findings in the form of museum-like exhibits, multimedia documentaries, dramatic performances, or research papers.

"For more than twenty-five years National History Day has inspired middle and high school students across the country to create innovative, high-quality projects which make history come alive and resonate for all of us. The History Channel is honored to sponsor this extraordinary program which continues to help teachers and students connect with history in a vital, dynamic and meaningful way," said Dr. Libby O'Connell, Chief Historian, The History Channel. "The History Channel's support ensures that these outstanding students will be able to continue their education and help motivate others."

The History Channel Web site will showcase the Awards Ceremony of National History Day during a LIVE Webcast at http://www.history.com/classroom on Thursday, June 15 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET/PT. Satellite Feed Opportunity is scheduled for June 15th, 2006, 7:00-7:30 p.m. ET. Transponder: IA6C/15 (Intelsat 6C/15) analog (analog C band), 930 West Longitude, uplink 6225 Horizontal, downlink 4000 Vertical. Transmissions Trouble #202-408-3424.

The goal of National History Day, Inc. is to promote the study of history by engaging students in the excitement of historic inquiry and creative presentation. Through publications and education programs, National History Day trains teachers to move students beyond textbooks and expand their classrooms to include libraries, museums and archives. Nationwide 40,000 educators currently use NHD curriculum materials. The National History Day program received the Charles Frankel Prize for Public Programming and collaborated with the National Archives to create "Our Documents," a national initiative on American history, civics, and service. More information is available at http://www.nhd.org/.

The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned three Peabody Awards, six News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 89 million Nielsen subscribers. The website is located at http://www.history.com/.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051031/HISTORYLOGO
Source: The History Channel

CONTACT: Chuck Wentzel, The History Channel, +1-201-362-6183,
Chuckw07030@aol.com; or Mark Robinson, National History Day, +1-301-314-9542,
mark@nhd.org

Web site: http://www.history.com/
http://www.history.com/classroom
http://www.nhd.org/

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