More than 200 young historians representing 25 schools will once again showcase their original websites, papers, documentaries, performances and exhibits at the National History Day-Orange County competition hosted by the Orange County Department of Education.
Because of the pandemic, this year’s NHD contests at the county, state and national levels will all be held virtually to accommodate social distancing. Projects will be submitted online, and NHD-OC judging will take place between Feb. 23 and March 14. All participants and coaches will be invited to attend a virtual awards ceremony at 6 p.m on March 19.
This year’s theme is “Communication in History: The Key to Understanding.”
Each year, more than half a million students in grades four through 12 take part in National History Day contests across the country. And, despite the name, the event is much bigger than a single day.
Working as individuals or in teams, participants conduct extensive research on a historical topic before submitting projects related to a specific theme. Those projects can take the form of an original paper, a website, a poster, an exhibit, a performance or even a documentary.
After months of in-depth research and preparation, entries from throughout Orange County will be evaluated by teams of volunteer judges, including more than 100 representatives from the county’s educational and business communities.
The top submissions from the National History Day-Orange County competition will advance to the state finals in May, and California’s highest-scoring projects will appear at the 2021 National Contest in June.
For more information, contact NHD-OC coordinators Julie Hull and Marika Manos at NHDinfo@ocde.us, or visit the NHD-OC website at link.ocde.us/NHD-OC.