Brazos Valley Regional History Fair
February 13, 2009
Sponsored by Star of the Republic Museum
WHAT IS
IT?
The BRAZOS VALLEY REGIONAL HISTORY
FAIR is one step on the road to NATIONAL HISTORY DAY competition.
After entering their local school history fair, winning students
from Austin, Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Waller, and Washington
Counties may advance to the BRAZOS VALLEY REGIONAL HISTORY FAIR
at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site. Those winners
will compete for advancement to Texas
History Day in Austin, sponsored by the Texas State Historical
Association. State winners will then travel to the NATIONAL HISTORY
DAY competition at the University of Maryland, just outside our
nation’s capital!
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY (NHD) is a
year-long, non-profit education program dedicated to improving
the teaching and learning of history. It helps students develop
critical thinking and research skills, and provides an excellent
opportunity to master the TAKS Social Studies Objectives.
Students participating in the NHD
contest choose their own topics of study related to an annual
theme, conduct extensive research, and choose the best method
for displaying their findings. Projects can be done individually
or as a group. A group consists of from two to five students.
Project categories include: historical paper (individuals only),
exhibit, documentary, performance and interpretive website. The
junior division is for grades 6-8 and the senior division is for
grades 9-12.
WHERE
IS IT?
The BRAZOS VALLEY REGIONAL HISTORY
FAIR will be held at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site,
off Hwy. 105, between Brenham and Navasota. Located at the site
where fifty-nine brave men declared Texas a free and independent
country, this tranquil park provides a beautiful setting for your
historic experience! Judging will take place in the Park Conference
Center, Education Center, and the Star of the Republic Museum.
Participants will also be able to visit Barrington Living History
Farm, Independence Hall, and the Visitors Center/Gift Shop while
at the Park.
WHEN
IS IT?
Students must have participated
in a local school fair in order to qualify for the Regional Fair.
Each individual school is responsible for setting a date for their
local competition, but it typically occurs approximately one month
before the regional fair.
The BRAZOS VALLEY REGIONAL HISTORY
FAIR 2009 will be February 13.
The state competition, Texas History
Day, will be in Austin on May 8-9, and the National History Day
competition will be in early June at the University of Maryland
in College Park, Maryland.
HOW
ARE ENTRIES JUDGED?
Students select a topic related
to the annual theme, which for the 2008-2009 school year is “The
Individual in History: Actions and Legacies.” Judges
prefer a topic that is unique or different, and can be well researched.
The quality and quantity of sources cited in the bibliography
are important. The use of primary sources is a necessary element
of the research. All rules and guidelines are mandated by NHD.
The guidelines for each category of project can be found at: http://www.nhd.org.
Failure to adhere to the guidelines
will cause a deduction in the student’s score. Sample judging
forms can be found on the NHD website as well. Regardless of which
category a student enters, the project will be evaluated on the
basis of historical quality, clarity of presentation, adherence
to theme, and rules compliance. Students may make changes according
to the judges’ comments before advancing to the next level
of competition.
HOW
DO I ENTER?
The local schools are responsible
for selecting the final entries to compete at the regional fair.
Each school is limited to three(3) entries PER CATEGORY per division.
All registration will be done online.
Teachers or sponsors must enter their students' names into the
system before the students can register. To register, teachers
and students should go to:
http://tx.nhd.org/ud/templates/register.php
An entry fee of $6 PER STUDENT
is required. Please send one check per school, with a list of
all students covered by the check. Checks should be made out to
“Star of the Republic Museum” and MUST BE POSTMARKED
by January 16, 2009.
Please mail entry fees to:
Anne McGaugh
BVRHF Regional Coordinator
Star of the Republic Museum
P. O. Box 317
Washington, TX 77880
The entry deadline for the regional
fair is January 16, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. All forms must be submitted
online by that time. NO EXCEPTIONS! PLEASE be sure students' schedules
will allow them to participate before they register!
FOR MORE
INFORMATION:
Contact Anne McGaugh
Curator of Education and Regional Coordinator
amcgaugh@blinn.edu
phone: (936) 878-2461, ext. 237
fax: (936) 878-2462
