North Carolina Humanities is partnering with the N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources to support N.C. History Day! An affiliate of the National History Day® program, N.C. History Day 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.
About the Partnership
In 2024, North Carolina Humanities is helping more schools in rural communities participate in N.C. History Day and National History Day® 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 N.C. 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.
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. 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. Over half a million middle and high school students participate nationally every year.
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 the N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. All photos on this page are courtesy of the N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.
