Teens, this is the perfect month to think about Alaska History Day. You’ll have plenty of time to consider topics and what kind of project you’d like to do for 2022.
History Day is a national program that gives middle school and high school students a fun experience in history that builds research and critical thinking skills—two valuable things you can use for the rest of your life. Students can enter projects as individuals or in teams up to five people. History teachers and other adults serve as sponsors to guide participants through their participation. The state competition is set for April, and the national one is in June.
Each year has a theme; in 2022, it is “Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences.” Students choose topics they are interested in, and can work on documentaries, exhibits, research papers, performances, or websites.
Here in Alaska, the program is sponsored by the Alaska Humanities Forum (AkHF) and has an advisory panel of folks from the AkHF, Alaska Historical Society, the Anchorage Museum, the Anchorage School District, and the University of Alaska Anchorage. I’ve been honored to judge twice, and the student projects are so much fun to read/view.
There are tons of subjects in Alaska history that are appropriate for this year’s theme. Here are a few suggestions from the Alaska Historical Society to get you started:
Alaska statehood
ANCSA (Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act)
Creation of the Permanent Fund Dividend
Who are the Zobels?
Want to check it out?
Alaska students can find great research resources at www.nhd.org/affiliate/alaska.
Learn more about the state program at www.akhf.org/ahd
and the national program at www.nhd.org/.
Have fun with it, and I hope to see you in April!