Southeast to host History Day Regional Contest on March 19

Five hundred and thirteen students from more than 15 schools are set to take part in the annual “science fair for history” March 19 at Southeast Missouri State University.

The 2019 History Day Regional Contest exhibition will be on display within Southeast’s University Center, according to Courtney Kisat, Southeast assistant professor of history.

Students from grades six through 12 will participate, covering Region 9 in Southeast Missouri, Kisat said. The students arrive to campus with History Day projects they’ve been working on all year, she said.

This is Kisat’s first year as coordinator of the contest, but she said she has been involved with the History Day Committee since 2015.

“They bring exhibits including websites, documentaries, performances or a historical paper,” Kisat said. “It’s really grown in the last few years to include digital history components, because we’re encouraging students to work on their 21st-century skills.”

And every year it includes more documentary and website projects, she said.

Kisat said one of the main committee goals is to increase school participation by reaching out to schools and teachers, which has resulted in growth within the last three years.

And that’s something the committee is continuing to focus on, she said, using it as a “recruitment bridge” in an effort to bring more students to Southeast.

This year’s theme — and one that rotates nearly every 10 years — is “Triumph and Tragedy in History,” according to Kisat.

“The students have the flexibility to choose any topic in history,” she said. “It could be local history or global history, as long as they can show that it fits within that theme.”

Students are evaluated on projects using a rubric provided by the National History Day contest, she explained, and are judged by Southeast History and Anthropology Department faculty.

Graduate students also are invited along with students who are majors within the department, she said.

“[The students] get to practice being a historian, which involves critical thinking skills, historical analysis, broad primary and secondary research,” Kisat said. “They have to be creative and find ways to make their projects stand out.”

Kisat said, “They are the historians. We let them know, when the judges are interviewing you, you’re the expert on this topic.”

Winners from the contest will advance to the state National History Day competition April 27 at the University of Missouri-Columbia, she said.

Judging will begin at 9 a.m. March 19 and exhibits will be open for public viewing from noon to 1 p.m. An awards ceremony also will take place at 2:30 p.m. in Academic Hall Auditorium, according to a news release.

The 2019 National History Day Regional Contest is sponsored by State Historical Society of Missouri. More information can be found online at www.nhdmo.org.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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