Showcasing original websites, papers, documentaries, performances and exhibits, more than 450 young historians took part in Saturday’s National History Day-Orange County competition hosted by the Orange County Department of Education.
Every year, more than half a million students in grades four through 12 compete in National History Day contests at the local, state and national levels. Participants, working in groups or as individuals, conduct extensive research on a historical topic before submitting in-depth projects related to the year’s theme. This year it’s “Conflict and Compromise in History.”
Students from 34 schools and a dozen districts were represented Saturday at OCDE’s main campus, where entries were displayed and judged under a large white tent from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
As in years past, projects had to take the form of a historical paper, website, exhibit, performance or documentary — and they’re judged in those categories. Speaking of which, the winners are set to be announced during a ceremony on Wednesday.
The top submissions from the National History Day-Orange County competition will travel to the state finals in May, and California’s highest-scoring projects will advance to the National History Day Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park in June.