Twenty-three students participated in the National History Day regional competition, which took place at UW-Madison on Saturday, February 24, 2018. Whitewater advanced nine students to the state competition in three categories: Senior Paper, Individual Exhibit, Individual Website, and Group Website. The NHD Regional had schools from across South Central Wisconsin. Whitewater High School also had five students who were listed as alternates to the State competition in their respective categories.
National History Day is an academic enrichment program for students in grades 6-12. Students select topics connected to an annual theme and complete their own in-depth research on the topic. This year, the annual theme is “Conflict and Compromise”. Students present their conclusions by creating museum-style exhibits, media documentaries, research papers, interactive websites, and dramatic performances.
The school event is the first step in a competition cycle that can take students from school level to the regional, state, and national competitions. At each level of competition, students share their work with their peers, historians, educators, and professionals in related fields as they compete for special awards and the opportunity to advance to the next level of competition.
Participation continues to grow with more than 500,000 students participating annually across the nation. The National History Day program in Wisconsin is coordinated by the Wisconsin Historical Society.
