Green Bay, Wis.—The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay will welcome more than 250 students when it plays host to the Northeastern Wisconsin Region’s National History Day competition on Saturday, March 7, 2020. It’s the 18th consecutive year the event has been held on the Green Bay Campus.

The 250 students, represent 18 schools from throughout the region, with a total of just more than 160 unique projects. Students hail from public and private schools from Brown, Manitowoc, Oconto, Outagamie, Sheboygan and Winnebago counties.

In keeping with this year’s theme of “Breaking Barriers in History,” some project topics include the Stonewall Riots, Muhammad Ali, California Gold Rush, Moon Landing, Nintendo, Civil Rights, artificial hearts, Genghis Khan, Vietnam War protests, Nellie Bly, women’s fashion and the Transcontinental Railroad.

Several of this year’s entries have a tie to northeastern Wisconsin, including projects about Houdini, William Hoy (hearing impaired Oshkosh baseball player credited with developing hand signals used by umpires) and “Walleye Wars.” Some students focused on topics by using the letters and diaries of their grandfathers to tell a personal story connected to history.

“We are proud to have UW-Green Bay serve as host for this exciting academic competition,” said UW-Green Bay’s Deb Anderson, coordinator for the Northeastern Wisconsin region. “National History Day provides students of all abilities and interests an opportunity to learn about a topic of their choosing and present it in a creative way. I am impressed by the depth and range demonstrated by the students in their topic selection, research and final projects.”

For most students, the projects are the result of months of research. Nearly 400 students visited the UW-Green Bay campus to conduct research at the UW-Green Bay Archives and Library. During research field trips, students often are awed by the historical materials they are able to hold in their hands. “We are excited to be part of creating a strong passion for history,” Anderson commented. “It is especially fun to hear the students label it as their ‘best day ever’ or to jump with excitement about a research discovery.”

Students can enter the National History Day competition in a variety of categories, including historical papers, exhibit displays, documentaries, performances and websites. They are required to use primary sources for projects, which often include interviews with individuals who have lived history.

In addition to students, families, educators and friends, the regional National History Day competition relies on over 100 volunteers, including UW-Green Bay students, faculty, alumni and community members. “The dedicated volunteers truly embrace the phrase ‘it takes a village.’” Anderson said.

The 2020 Northeastern National History Day competition will be held in the University Union and Mary Ann Cofrin Hall at UW-Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet Drive. It is free and open to the public. The all-day event has judging taking place from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Awards will be presented in the Weidner Center for Performing Arts at 3:30 p.m.

Winners from the regional competition will move on to the April 18, 2020 state contest, and may have the opportunity to compete at the national competition in Washington, D.C. in June. On an annual basis, National History Day serves more than 600,000 students in all the U.S. states and territories.

For more information, contact Deb Anderson at UW Green Bay Archives at (920) 465-2539 or andersod@uwgb.edu.

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