UMaine to Host Maine National History Day April 12

More than 300 students, teachers and chaperones from about 20 Maine middle and high schools are expected to gather at the University of Maine from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 12 to participate in the Maine National History Day competition.

A new partnership between UMaine and the Margaret Chase Smith Library, with support from the Maine Humanities Council and the Maine Historical Society, brings the event for students in grades 6–12 to the UMaine campus for the first time since the national program began in 1980.

National History Day (NHD) is an academic program that promotes critical thinking, research and presentation skills through project-based learning for students of all abilities. More than a half million students, working with thousand of teachers, participate in the national contest annually.

Student exhibits, websites, documentaries and performances will be judged from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at several locations on campus including Wells Conference Center, IMRC Center, Fogler Library and Memorial Union.

Travel prizes donated by Joe and Suzanne Cyr of John T. Cyr & Sons, Inc./Cyr Bus Line in Old Town will be awarded to state winners who are eligible to compete in the national contest in Washington, D.C. in June. Awards will be presented during the 2:30 p.m. ceremony in Wells Conference Center.

A scavenger hunt with activities from a half dozen museums and history organizations, including a Civil War re-enactment group, will be offered to students. Maine NHD participants can also use UMaine’s New Balance Student Recreation Center at a discounted rate of $3.

State NHD contestants are invited to display their work at the Bangor Public Library and the Maine Discovery Museum in downtown Bangor for five weeks after the contest. Performance category winners also are invited to perform at the Bangor Public Library on May 17 during Bangor Public Humanities Day organized by the UMaine Humanities Initiative. More information about the Bangor event is online.

For questions or to request a disability accommodation, contact John Taylor, NHD state coordinator with the Margaret Chase Smith Library, 317.626.8438, john.m.taylor@maine.edu; or Liam Riordan, UMaine history professor, 207.581.1913, riordan@umit.maine.edu. More information on Maine NHD is online.