Nebraska High School Students Win The History Channel(R) Award at 2006 National History Day Ceremony

Nebraska High School Students Win The History Channel(R) Award at 2006 National History Day Ceremony

Three Lincoln Public School Students Research, Write and Produce Award-winning Documentary on President Theodore Roosevelt's Conservation Efforts

COLLEGE PARK, Md., June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- After months of intensive research, three dedicated students from The Science Focus Program (The Zoo School) in Lincoln, Nebraska, received The History Channel(R) Award for "Best Senior Entry for a Group Documentary" at the National History Day (NHD) ceremonies today for their documentary titled "Theodore Roosevelt: Conserving America's Future."

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

National History Day, Inc. is a nonprofit education program that presents an annual national history contest. Students present the findings of in-depth historical research in the form of documentaries, performances, exhibits, and papers and are judged by a panel of experts. More than half a million students nationwide participate in National History Day. The national finals are held at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Libby O'Connell, Chief Historian, The History Channel, presented a $5,000 prize to the three students -- Richard Carlson, Mitch Paine and Evan Wilson -- for their achievement. More than 2,200 students from 49 states, District of Columbia and American Somoa participated in the national event. During the competition, students presented research addressing the 2006 National History Day theme: "Taking a Stand In History: People, Ideas, Events."

Carlson, Paine and Wilson dedicated countless hours to researching President Theodore Roosevelt's complex relationship with nature. While known as an avid hunter and sportsman, Roosevelt also used the power of his presidency to preserve the vast and varied natural beauty of the United States. In addition to exploring historical texts and documents, the young documentary-makers sought out interviews with Tweed Roosevelt, the great- grandson of President Roosevelt; the grandchildren of Gifford Pinchot, Roosevelt's Chief Forester of the Forester Service; and Rob Sassor, assistant to Jane Goodall; among many others.

"These three students were a very diverse team; each brought different strengths and sensibilities to developing and executing this project," said James Bartow, the Social Studies teacher at the Zoo School who mentors student participating in National History Day. "They choose a less well-known aspect of a very well-known, but complex, man. They were relentless in their reading and researching which yielded some outstanding interviews that helped distinguish their project."

Coincidentally, Mr. Barstow, whose students have achieved numerous local, regional and national awards through the National History Day program, was named The History Channel Outstanding History Educator this year.

On Thursday, June 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., ET/PT, a Live Webcast will showcase winners of the National History Day 2006 contest. Log on to History.com/classroom or NationalHistoryDay.org to access a LIVE Webcast of the Awards Ceremony.

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 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 www.History.com.

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

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

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

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information and photo opportunity please visit us on the web at www.historychannel.com.

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