North Carolina Humanities is supporting this year’s N.C. History Day by supplying resources for schoolteachers and by helping form a new North Carolina contest region for students in underserved areas.
N.C. History Day, an affiliate of the National History Day® program, is designed to inspire historical inquiry in middle and high school students through hands-on discovery. By participating, students become writers, filmmakers, web designers, playwrights, and artists as they create unique contemporary expressions of history. National History Day’s 2023-24 theme is “Turning Points in History.” Over half a million middle and high school students participate nationally every year.
Registration is now open for N.C. History Day! To see regional project submission deadlines visit: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/NHDRegionalContests.
N.C. History Day is open to public, charter, private, early college, and homeschool students in grades 6th through 12th. Students choose a topic related to the annual theme and conduct research in libraries, archives, and museums and by visiting historic sites. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, students present their work in original papers, exhibits, performances, websites, or documentaries. Through this process, students develop essential skills to manage and use information, including critical thinking, problem-solving, argumentation, writing and revising, and properly crediting sources.
An optional part of the experience is participating in a series of contests starting at the local level. Students must qualify to compete at the state level by first competing at their assigned regional contest. This year the state level contest for North Carolina will take place on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The top two projects from each category at the state contest qualify to attend the national contest held in June at the University of Maryland at College Park.
This year, North Carolina Humanities is helping more schools in rural communities participate in the National History Day® program by aiding in the creation of a new region – the Sandhills Region. The Sandhills Region serves students in Cumberland, Hoke, Moore, Richmond, Robeson and Scotland counties. UNC Pembroke’s History Department will host the first regional contest. North Carolina has eight regions for National History Day®. North Carolina Humanities is also helping to purchase materials and exhibit boards for students and helping to distribute teaching and instructional materials that will provide teachers with the resources needed to lead their students through the N.C. History Day program.
North Carolina Humanities’ support of N.C. History Day is made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, whose National History Day® initiative strives to support more educators, students, and judges in underserved communities. N.C. History Day is an official program of N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.
If you are looking to get involved, please utilize the following resources:
- Students and teachers can learn how to get involved at: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/nchistoryday.
- Educators who need help getting started or need help developing plans for their classroom can contact Karen Ipock, Contest & Program Coordinator, at karen.ipock@ncdcr.gov.
- N.C. History Day is currently seeking regional and state-level contest judges!
- Judges do not need prior experience to serve. N.C. History Day will provide instructions and training.
- Judges can have various backgrounds and interests – including but not limited to history, education, libraries, exhibit creation, website design, writing, filmmaking, science, music history, and more.
- Each judging team will include 2-3 judges.
- For more information, please contact Karen Ipock, Contest & Program Coordinator, at karen.ipock@ncdcr.gov.
- Regional Level Contests (February-March 2024) –Judges at the nine regional contests are asked to view projects, interview students about their work, provide feedback for participants, and choose the top projects advancing to the state level contest.
- SW Piedmont Region – UNC Charlotte – Feb. 9
- Central Piedmont – Alamance Community College – Feb. 24
- Sandhills Region – UNC Pembroke – March 1
- Western Region – UNC Asheville – March 16
- Southeast Region – Cape Fear Museum – March 13 & 14
- Northeast Region – East Carolina University – March 21
- NW Piedmont Region – Surry Community College – March 22
- Albemarle Region – Elizabeth City State University – March 22
- Virtual Regional Contest – Completely Online – Last week of March
- State Level Contest at UNC Greensboro (Saturday, May 4th, 2024) – Judges at the state contest are asked to view projects, interview students about their work, provide feedback for participants, and choose the top two projects in each category that will represent North Carolina at the national competition in June 2024. The time commitment for judges on May 4th is roughly 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
About North Carolina Humanities: Through public humanities programs and grantmaking, North Carolina Humanities connects North Carolinians with cultural experiences that spur dialogue, deepen human connections, and inspire community. North Carolina Humanities is a statewide nonprofit and the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more at www.nchumanities.org.
