Attending the National History Day awards ceremony at the University of Maryland was truly an exhilarating five-hour experience for my husband, David, and me. More than 2,000 students recognized some of the most noteworthy turning point history in the world and celebrated its important impact on our lives. We credit the teachers and students' families, the national and state organizers and especially the hours of work everyone dedicated to making June 2024's event inspiring.
Who/what did we see? More than 2,000 students receiving and being recognized for outstanding work on the 2024 theme—Turning Points in History. We witnessed their enthusiasm to share with everyone why they chose their topic.
Our impression of NHD? A well coordinated effort to recognize students --Junior High Division and High School Division competitions—for their work creating their projects. The team efforts and support of friends cheering their classmates and others from their state was so personally heartwarming. Dave and I believe the students enjoyed NHD. We met many of the students
during a day at Smithsonian's Museum of American History, where selected exhibits were on display. The students hosted visitors and explained their exhibit to all. We saw a wide range of topics (turning points in history) and were able to hear from the students how and why they selected that theme.
Students were advocates for their project—very willing to explain, defend and interact with all visitors. Many of the exhibit projects were done by two or three students working together, and they said they became better friends because of the project.
We met students at the African American Museum where the documentary projects were showcased. Their enthusiasm and focus on their projects and pride of featuring their theme were infectious.
We would definitely go again!
From Old Ned Newsletter June 2024
