More Than 2,000 Young Scholars Compete For The Nation's Top History Awards At 2007 National History Day

More Than 2,000 Young Scholars Compete For The Nation's Top History Awards At 2007 National History Day

The History Channel(R) Honors Outstanding Young Historians On June 14

NEW YORK, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading historians, curators and educators face the challenge of judging more than 2,000 finalists as they compete for top awards and scholarship money as part of National History Day (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 10 -14 at the University of Maryland.

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

The national winners emerge from a field of more than 700,000 middle and high school students who competed at the district and state levels leading up to the finals. The rigorous, multi-tiered selection process evaluates each project for its historical quality, clarity of presentation and how effectively it addresses this year's theme: "Triumph and Tragedy in History." The annual theme is broad enough to encourage investigation on an individual, idea or event of local, national or international historical importance, from ancient times to the present day. Students present their findings in the form of museum-like exhibits, multimedia documentaries, dramatic performances, or research papers.

Students from across the nation conducted in-depth research on a wide spectrum of topics such as the Japanese American Interment Camps, the Armenian Genocide, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, the Salem Witch Trials, and the break up of The Beatles. They have explored pivotal moments in the lives of notables such as Stonewall Jackson, Helen Keller, Elie Wiesel, and Jackie Robinson. This year's theme challenged students to examine the paradox of both triumph and tragedy that many historical events present to researchers and scholars.

"National History Day is an important opportunity to recognize the year- long commitment to effective education in our nation's middle and high school classrooms. Students all across the country create carefully researched and compellingly presented projects which make history dynamic, engaging and resonant for all of us," said Dr. Libby O'Connell, Chief Historian, The History Channel. "The History Channel is honored to sponsor this extraordinary program which helps teachers and students actively connect with history in meaningful way. The History Channel support also ensures that the success of these outstanding students will inspire and motivate others."

The History Channel Web site will showcase the National History Day Awards Ceremony during a LIVE Webcast at http://www.history.com/classroom on Thursday, June 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Satellite Feed Opportunity: June 14, 2007, 19:00-19:30 ET. Transponder: IA6C 15 (TELSTAR 6C/15) analog (analog C band), 970 West Longitude, Uplink: 6225 - Horizontal Up, Downlink: 4000 Vertical Down.

Transmissions Trouble: 202-408-3424.

The goal of National History Day is to promote the study of history by engaging over half a million students annually in the excitement of historical inquiry and creative presentation. Through publications and education programs, NHD 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 NHD 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.

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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: For THE HISTORY CHANNEL: Chuck Wentzel, +1-201-362-6183,
Chuckw07030@aol.com ; or For NATIONAL HISTORY DAY: Mark Robinson,
+1-301-314-9542, mark@nhd.org

Web site:

http://www.history.com/

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

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