DES MOINES – Sixty-two Iowa students took top honors in the National History Day in Iowa contest Monday and advanced to compete in the national contest in June. The 62 students emerged from a total of 498 competitors in Monday’s state contest at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. In June, they will travel to the University of Maryland where they will compete in the National History Day national contest against nearly 3,000 students from the United States and around the world. The program is administered in Iowa by the State Historical Society of Iowa, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

This year’s national qualifiers include students from 18 different schools, including (from our area):

• Abraham Lincoln High School
• Carroll High School
• Clarinda High School
• Lewis Central Senior High School

Special Award winners can be found HERE. Contest Category Award results are shown HERE.

National History Day challenges students to research, develop and present papers, exhibits, documentaries, websites and performances about historical topics related to an annual theme. This year’s theme is “Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.”

More than half a million middle and high school students around the world participate in the program each year. In Iowa, 695 students participated in the program, which includes a Junior Division (grades 6-8), Senior Division (grades 9-12), and a non-competitive Youth Division (grades 4-5).

As part of the program, students learn important literacy skills and how to conduct research using primary, secondary, community and statewide resources. Working individually or in groups of two to five, they develop the following attributes that are essential for future success: critical thinking and problem-solving skills, research and reading skills, oral and written communication skills, presentation skills, self-esteem and confidence, as well as a sense of responsibility for and involvement in the democratic process.

More information can be found at this LINK.