History Day

JOHNSON CITY (Feb. 12, 2015) – East Tennessee State University and Tusculum College have announced their joint sponsorship of an annual National History Day (NHD) competition for the Northeast Tennessee district.

This year, that competition will take place on the campus of ETSU on Wednesday, March 4, in the D.P. Culp University Center ballroom at 10 a.m.  The theme is “Leadership and Legacy in History.”

Middle and high school history teachers in Northeast Tennessee have been provided information and guidance to help them support their students in preparation for the event.  After conducting research on chosen topics related to the year’s specific theme, participating students are now creating original papers, websites, exhibits, performances or documentaries that illustrate their conclusions regarding their topics’ historical significance.

These projects will be presented and evaluated by historians and educators in competitions during the spring at the local, state and national levels, including the one at ETSU in March.  The culminating event is the Kenneth E. Behring National Contest, held each June at the University of Maryland at College Park.

According to the NHD website (www.nationalhistoryday.org), more than half a million students across the United States take part in the event each year, and millions of previous participants “have gone on to careers in business, law, medicine and countless other disciplines where they are putting into practice what they learned through NHD.”

Tennessee is divided into six districts for the NHD competition: Northeast, East, Southeast, North Middle, Middle and West. 

The 10 Northeast Tennessee District counties are further divided into East and West.  The East Division, assisted by ETSU, consists of Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties, and the West Division, assisted by Tusculum College, is made up of Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock and Hawkins counties. 

This partnership between ETSU and Tusculum College will allow for greater participation by area students in this national event.  The Northeast District event is funded by a grant from the Niswonger Foundation, with additional funds provided by Sally Harbison, Jones Media and The Greeneville Sun, along with various other sponsors.  It is endorsed by Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett and by the Tennessee Historical Society, which hosts the state-level competition in April.

“History Day is a wonderful and powerful way in which students, teachers and the community can become involved to not only celebrate history but to promote our children’s future,” said Dr. Daryl A. Carter, an associate professor and graduate coordinator in the ETSU Department of History.  Carter is serving as coordinator of the Northeast Tennessee District for NHD.

“For more than 10 years, Tusculum College has sponsored the National History Day district competition on our Greeneville campus,” said Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of Tusculum College.  “We are pleased that this collaborative partnership with ETSU will give more students in our region the opportunity to learn history while developing valuable research, writing and public speaking skills that will greatly benefit them throughout their lives.”