History Fair at NHD08

President Abe says...

2008-06-21T05:22:00.000-07:00

"On behalf of the Chicago Metro History Fair and the IHPA, I send my hearty congratulations to and celebrate the achievements of ALL Illinois students who participated at NHD this year. Spend some time with the "slideshow" to sneak a peek a peek at the activities of our Illinois delegation. They are "grrrrreat!"

Congratulations to State Entry Winners & Finalists

2008-06-21T05:04:00.000-07:00

The Lindblom Math & Science Academy students shared national honors with these Illinois schools. Three other projects also earned honors at the national contest: Anita Allen, Tariq Collins, Jer’Ray Hudgins, and Briana Cato received Outstanding Junior Division State Entry for their performance, “Battling Racial Restrictive Covenants: Hansberry v. Lee Court Case.” The students attend Amelia Earhart Elementary School. Their teacher is Amanda Petrowsky.

Josephine Lee earned Outstanding Senior Division State Entry for her performance, “The Women’s Symphony Orchestra of Chicago.” Josephine attends Lincoln Park High School.

Carl Arkebauer, Ogden Elementary, placed 13th in the nation with his exhibit, “Evolution of Disability Rights in Chicago.” Carl’s teacher is Adam Loredo.

Juarez Community Academy was also named the Illinois National History Day School of the Year in acknowledgement of 20 years of steady participation and overall excellence.

Lindblom Wins National Prize for African-Amercan History

2008-06-21T04:58:00.001-07:00

Four Lindblom Math and Science Academy students have earned top honors – and a $5,000 prize – for their efforts to uncover the complicated racial history of their school. The four Lindblom juniors -- Lea Starling, Everett Murrell, Jon Murphy, and Jonathan Parnell – created an exhibit display for the local Chicago Metro History Fair that ultimately advanced to the National History Day Finals in College Park, Maryland where it was selected as 14th in the nation. “Lindblom 1968” earned the prestigious Outstanding Entry in African-American History prize at the national contest. The award is sponsored by the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History.The students’ project details the transformation that occurred in their school in the 1960s as the Supreme Court pressured the Chicago Public Schools to become more integrated in the wake of the 1954 Brown v. the Board of Education decision. Racial conflict broke out at Lindblom as increasing numbers of black students began to attend the predominantly-white school. Lindblom and the surrounding West Englewood neighborhood quickly shifted from predominantly white to predominantly black due to white flight. As Jonathan Parnell remarked, “At Lindblom, it was the school that changed the neighborhood. The school changed the surroundings. I thought that…people needed to know.” His partner, Lea Starling, echoed, “It changed the whole community in five years. We want them to see the impact…through our board. We want them to go away with education in mind and the fight to keep going.”The students spent several months researching their project, finding historical treasures through interviews with people who attended Lindblom as it was integrating in the 1960s and in old school yearbooks. Parnell noted, “I learned to research things -- like in college.” Everett Murrell continued, “I learned how to interact with people, including people from different races. I made new friends.” The students participated in the Chicago Metro History Fair through the Museology Colloquium taught by Molly Myers. This year is Lindblom’s first participating in the History Fair.

Make Some "Illinoise" at the Awards Ceremony!

2008-06-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

History Matters Fellows Hard at Work

2008-06-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

Each year, the Chicago Metro History Education Center selects great teachers to be indentured servants....er...I mean...History Matters Fellows at the National History Day contest. This year's Fellows include Anne Agostinelli from Haines Elementary, Carole Goodfriend of Niles West, and Sara Hoitink from Grayslake North.

Aside from making these fantastic teachers swelter in the dorms, they also get the opportunity to do fun - and challenging - jobs like judging NHD projects.

Above, Carole Goodfriend (left) engages in deep conversation with her counterparts.

Below, Sara Hoitink (left) wraps up her judging session on Tuesday afternoon.

Prepping for Performances - A Parent's Perspective

2008-06-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

Our first blog entry from a parent has arrived! Read on to see this report from Stevenson High School parent, Daniel DeGrazia. Dan's daughter, Aliya, and her partner, Jamie Levit, just finished performing "Escobedo v. Illinois" in the Senior Division preliminary round. We're actively recruiting blog entries from students, fan club members, and others. Enter your own in the "comments" section of the blog, or just email cjohnson@chicagohistoryfair.org to join in the fun!

-----Prepping for Performances, by Daniel DeGrazia

What a madhouse! Organized chaos! The halls of stamp union were filled with people dressing and talking and building sets and rushing around. It was really great to see the teams from the different states help each other out; a safety pin here, a table there. It felt like each group wanted to compete against the best that the other group had so it was worth helping them out just to make sure you were competing against the best they could bring.

So many last minute things would not fit quite right and had to be re done and some teams looked like they needed construction permits for their sets! What an amazing array of creativity. I can’t wait for the results so we can do it all again tomorrow!

-----AND.....honk if you love history!!! Dan also sent these fun photos....

Monday News in Photos

2008-06-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

Good luck to all of our SENIOR Division students!

2008-06-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

Junior Division students can now breathe a big sigh of relief, but our Senior Division students are just gearing up for their big day on Tuesday. If you get the chance to cheer on your companions, go check them out!

DOCUMENTARIES AND PERFORMANCES

Senior Individual Documentary

11:20 - 1100 Cambridge CC - Ethan Blumenthal (Jones), "Challenges of Public Housing in Chicago"
2:20 - 1111 Cambridge CC - Marisela Soto (East Aurora), "Marie Wilkinson"

Senior Group Documentary

10:00 - Armory 0116 - Catherine Crawford & Mari Cook (IMSA), "Chicago and the Food Frontier"
11:20 - Armory 0110 - Wendy Whelan, Hila Tieman, Harlee Flesner, Katie Whelan (Payson Seymour), "Jennie Hodgers, Albert Cashier"

Senior Individual Performance

11:00 - Jiminez 2122 - Josephine Lee (Lincoln Park), "Women's Symphony Orchestra"
2:00 - SSU Nanticoke - Sneha Elango (Stevenson), "A Commitment to Civil Rights"

Senior Group Performance

10:40 - Stamp Student Union Juan Jiminez - Aliya De Grazia & Jamie Levit, "Escobedo v. Illinois"
2:20 - SSU Banneker - Carly Penzik & Geneva Costopulos (Stevenson), "Trial of Mary Todd Lincoln"

EXHIBITS AND PAPERS

EXHIBIT VIEWING IN SSU GRAND BALLROOM:
Monday, 5:30-9:00 PM
Tuesday, 7:00-9:00 PM

Senior Individual Exhibits

#25058, Margaret Straszewski (Stevenson), "Comics Code Authority"
#25090, Danielle Taylor (Providence St. Mel), "Diphtheria & Urbanization"

Senior Group Exhibits

#26046 -- Lea Starling, Everett Murrell, Jonathan Parnell, Jon Murphy (Lindblom), "Lindblom 1968"
#26066 -- Lesya Vojtovich, Tracy Ko (Lincoln), "WCTU Strive toward a Sober Chicago"

PAPER VIEWING IN STAMP STUDENT UNION
Monday -- 10AM-4PM
Tuesday -- 10AM-5PM

Senior Papers

#20077 -- Pat Kelly (Mt. Carmel), "Beverly Now: Plan that Held a Community Together"
#20012 -- Julie Robinson (Niles West), "Jane: Underground Abortion Service"

Good luck to all of our JUNIOR Division students!

2008-06-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

If you have the opportunity, cheer on a teammate from Illinois!

You can watch Illinois Junior Division (grades 6-8) documentaries and performances at the following times:

Jr. Individual Performance

11:20, 2123 Jiminez: Bob French (St. Thomas More), "Vashti McCullom: Separation of Church & State"
2:20, 0118 Jiminez: Thea Bloom (St. Luke), "Cloakmakers vs. Sweaters"

Jr. Group Performance

11:20, SSU Atrium: Raquel Olive, Jysheng Hou, Emily Fink, Marian Repp, Joan Shang (Carbondale MS), "Consequences of Yesterday: The Koppers Tie Plant"
2:40, SSU Brent 2112: Anita Allen, Tariq Collins, Jer-Ray Hudgins, Briana Cato (Earhart Elementary), "Battling Racial Restrictive Covenants: Hansberry v. Lee Court Case"

Jr. Individual Documentary

11:40, 1200 Cambridge CC: Sarah Seibert (Science & Arts), "Chicago River: Moving in a New Direction"
2:40, 1205 Cambridge CC: Reem Khondakar (Catherine Cook), "Under the Smoke: Haymarket"

Jr. Group Documentary

11:40, Armory 0119: George Buro, Abie Yanuardi (East Prairie), "Skokie Lagoon Project: Conflict with a Compromise"
3:00, Armory 0116: Amanda Walsh, Kayla Bushey (St. Luke), "Citizens vs. Big Business: Lighting up the Wrigley Field Compromise"

CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING EXHIBITS AND PAPERS DURING PUBLIC VIEWING TIMES:

EXHIBIT VIEWING IN SSU GRAND BALLROOM:

Monday, 5:30-9:00 PM

Tuesday, 7:00-9:00 PM

Jr. Individual Exhibits

#15015 -- Carl Arkebauer (Ogden), "Evolution of Disability Rights"
#15075 -- Annie Adduci (St. Leonard), "Laugh Your Troubles Away -- But at What Cost to Racial Injustice?"

Jr. Group Exhibits

#16074 -- Abby Bohnson, Bennett Booth, Emily Bridges, Stacy Weaver (Lincoln), "When the Smoke Clears: The Anti-Cigarette Campaign"
#16040 -- Mitchell Caminer, Gar Crowell, Jonathan Kamel, Clifford Vickrey (Lincoln), "To Spy & Suspect: Conflict of Domestic Surveillance"

PAPER VIEWING IN STAMP STUDENT UNION

Monday -- 10AM-4PM

Tuesday -- 10AM-5PM

#10067 -- Olivia Kelleher (St. Giles), "Lincoln-Douglas Senatorial Debates 1858"
#10061 -- Julian DiMaio (St. Luke), "Despair in Paradise: No Compromise in Pullman"

Let the fun begin!

2008-06-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Students, teachers, and fan club members from across Illinois gathered in College Park today to trade buttons, swap stories, and celebrate the study of history. After harrowing travel adventures including stormy weather, over-zealous airport security guards, and broken-down cars, the Illinois delegation (or at least most of it) made it to the University of Maryland campus. Illinois students are part of the largest National History Day competition ever -- including 2,438 students from across the 50 states, Guam, American Samoa, and even the Department of Defense schools in Europe and Asia! (Those Guam buttons are apparently THE hot commodity at NHD this year -- after intense button trading negotiations, Guam buttons fetch up to five other state buttons before the trade will take place!)

After some button trading at the Welcome Ceremony, Illinois students came to replenish their button supplies and their empty stomachs at the annual All-Illinois Pizza Party at Hornbake Plaza.

Share your stories!

2008-06-15T12:29:00.001-07:00

You can share your stories with each other and the fan clubs back home by posting an entry on the blog! Feel free to comment on any of the posts listed here, or send your own stories and pictures to Crystal or Lisa for posting (cjohnson@chicagohistoryfair.org or loppenheim@chicagohistoryfair.org).

We'll also have a computer available at the Wednesday night pizza party if you'd like to chime in!

Activities At-a-Glance

2008-06-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

SUNDAY
Registration, set up exhibits
Welcome Ceremony -- McKeldin Mall -- 6:30 PM
Immediately after Welcome Ceremony -- PIZZA PARTY -- Hornbake Plaza

MONDAY
Junior Division Judging (all day)
Senior Division Touring
Public viewing of exhibits (5:30-9 PM) and papers (10AM-4PM)
Posting of Junior Division Finalists in Documentaries and Performances (7 PM)
Student Dance, Parents' Reception, Teachers' Social -- Reckord Armory (7:30-10:30 PM)

TUESDAY
Senior Division Judging (all day)
Junior Division Touring
Junior Division Performance and Documentary Finals (5PM)
Posting of Senior Division Finalists in Documentaries and Performances (7PM)
Public viewing of exhibits (7-9 PM) and papers (10AM-5PM)

WEDNESDAY
Touring
Senior Division Performance and Documentary Finals (8:30AM-1PM)
Public viewing of exhibits (9AM-5PM)
Take down exhibits (5-7PM)
DORM ICE CREAM/POSTER PARTY for all students -- CENTREVILLE DORM (by the farm!) -- 8:30 PM
Call Lisa to RSVP: 312-636-2031

THURSDAY
Awards Ceremony (8:30AM)
Wear your t-shirt for the parade of states -- join Illinois in the "H-I" section of the Cole Field House (as close to the arena as possible). We'll block off a section, look for the Illinois banners
Pick up evaluations and certificates immediately after the ceremony in the Stamp Union, otherwise NHD will mail them to you after the contest.

Welcome to NHD 2008!

2008-06-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to National History Day! We hope that your travels went quickly and smoothly. Now that you have arrived in College Park, we look forward to seeing you at tonight's annual PIZZA PARTY for the Illinois delegation students, teachers, and family members. Join us immediately following the Welcome Ceremony in the Hornbake Plaza (right in front of Hornbake Library) for pizza and fun with footballs.

In addition to pizza and the chance to get to know the other members of the Illinois delegation, you'll want to attend the party in order to get more BUTTONS, BUTTONS, BUTTONS!! After the hot button negotiations that occur at the Welcome Ceremony (McKeldin Mall - in front of McKeldin Library - at 6:30 PM), we're sure you'll need your button supply restocked. Lisa, Crystal, and Pete can help!

IF you cannot attend the party, please contact Lisa (312.636.2031) or Crystal (312.339.0643) and we will arrange a pick-up of your goodies.

Please use the blog to share your stories with your friends from NHD and your fans back home. If you have pictures you would like to upload to the blog, feel free to send them to Crystal and Lisa to put on the site (cjohnson@chicagohistoryfair.org; loppenheim@chicagohistoryfair.org).

Have fun!!