Kansas High School Student Wins the History Channel(R) Award for Best Senior Entry: Individual Documentary at 2007 National History Day Ceremony

Kansas High School Student Wins the History Channel(R) Award for Best Senior Entry: Individual Documentary at 2007 National History Day Ceremony

COLLEGE PARK, Md., June 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After months of intensive research, Samuel Huneke from Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Kansas, earned The History Channel(R) Award for "Best Senior Entry for an Individual Documentary" at the National History Day (NHD) ceremonies today for his documentary titled "Democracy in the Heart of Europe: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Czechoslovak Republic."

(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. Kimberly Gilmore, Historian and Director of Corporate Outreach at The History Channel, presented a $5,000 prize for the project to the Huneke. More than 2,300 students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and American Samoa participated in the national event. During the competition, students presented research addressing the 2007 National History Day theme: "Triumph and Tragedy in History."

The award-winning documentary traces the founding of democracy in the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918 through its tragic destruction by Nazi Germany under the Munich Pact and the subsequent annexation in March 1939. According Huneke, "Czechoslovakia's fate, especially in the late 1930s, determined the fate for all of Europe." Huneke found the topic to be especially resonant for this year's National History Day theme of triumph and tragedy in history: "despite being forced into a fascist dictatorship against their will by the Nazis ... today in an ultimate proof of the triumph, the Czech and Slovak Republics are prosperous democracies."

Huneke has prepared and submitted documentaries for National History Day for the past five years. This year's project was completed under the guidance of Mike Ortmann, Huneke's history teacher at Lawrence High School.

Satellite Feed Opportunity: June 14, 2007, 19:00-19:30 ET. Transponder: IA6C 15 (TELSTAR 6C/15) analog (analog C band), 97 degrees West Longitude, Uplink: 6225 - Horizontal Up, Downlink: 4000 Vertical Down.

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 teachers 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 a leading cable television network 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 four Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, 10 News & 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 93 million Nielsen subscribers. The website is located at www.History.com.

Photo: NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051031/HISTORYLOGO
AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: The History Channel

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

Web site:

http://www.history.com/
http://www.nhd.org/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information and photography please visit us on the web at www.historychannelpress.com.

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