Our 2017 Connecticut History Day Season

It hardly seems possible that another year of Connecticut History Day has concluded and now, in a little over a month, another school year begins.  I am so proud of all of the students who took part in CHD this past year.  They did a tremendous job exploring a rich variety of subjects. It takes hard work and courage to see a project through!
 
In June, I was fortunate to accompany Team Connecticut to the National Contest.  I always enjoy this opportunity to get to know students, teachers and parents.  It is at Nationals that I get to hear some wonderful CHD stories.

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Erin Mutchek, Amelia Savola, Nolan Goodale, Arsalan Zaki, Mary Grace Goodale advance to the National Contest from Timothy Edwards Middle School

​Students helping students
When a group of Junior Performance students from Timothy Edwards Middle School qualified for the National Contest, two of their classmates--Emma and Ella—wanted to help support the group’s trip to Nationals.  They spent countless hours organizing a Volleyball Fundraiser and raised $1,800.00 fund the five students’ travel costs. While at the National Contest, the Junior Group Performers paid this kindness forward.  When a group from overseas had no props for their performance, the Timothy Edwards students quickly offered the use of their backdrop.

Ben Donofrio, Dylan Edwards, Ethan Haberman, Ethan Coe with Rebecca Taber-Conover after their presentation at National History Day

​Intrepid students
In the senior division, a group of three students from Daniel Hand High School made the National Contest in their first year of participating.  They shipped their project on Taming the Jungle but upon arrival discovered that it had been damaged in transit.  These young men did not give up. Instead they went to the nearest Lowe’s and worked late into the night to repair their project.  They finished 2nd in their judging room, an outstanding achievement.

Dante DiMartino-Hart reviews his paper on Winston Churchill before his interview at National History Day

Amazing Opportunities for CHD students
Dante DiMartino-Hart, a middle schooler from Mystic, wrote a paper on Winston Churchill.  Not only did the International Churchill Society publish his paper on-line and feature it in their "Churchill Bulletin, “Dante received a special tour of the new National Churchill Library & Center on the campus of George Washington University. At the Center, the director greeted Dante and his Mom and presented him with gifts. Even more excitingly, they shared archival materials and artifacts including Churchill's war calendar for the year 1940, which was the focus of Dante's paper! Learn more about Dante’s experience from The International Churchill Society HERE

​These are just a few of the amazing experiences that CHD students had last year.  Participating in the program is about so much more than winning or losing; all of the students are winners.   It truly is about the experience: visiting a museum, performing at a special event, or meeting a person with a connection to their topic.  I can’t wait to hear about the experiences students have this coming year.