[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 88 (Tuesday, June 28, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1385-E1386]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN RECOGNITION OF TOP STUDENT HISTORIANS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 28, 2005

  Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the top student historians 
in the State of Colorado. Colorado History Day, an affiliate of 
National History Day, is a year-long education program that engages 
students in grades 6-12 in the process of discovery and interpretation 
of historical topics. Students produce dramatic performances, museum-
style exhibits, multimedia documentaries, and research papers based on 
their own research related to a broad annual theme. Their projects are 
then evaluated in a series of local and state competitions, culminating 
in an annual national competition. Nationwide, more than 800,000 
students are involved in the National History Day program. More than 
4,000 Colorado students participate in History Day activities at the 
local level each year, and they represent every type of Colorado 
community, from the cities and suburbs of the Front Range to rural 
plains towns and mountain communities. At the Colorado History Day 
State Competition

[[Page E1386]]

on April 23, 2005, held at the University of Colorado at Boulder, 54 
students qualified to represent Colorado at the National History Day 
competition June 12-16 at the University of Maryland, College Park.
  This year's National History Day theme, ``Communication in History: 
The Key to Understanding,'' encompasses endless possibilities for 
exploration. Students embark on journeys of discovery that teach them 
about various facets of world, national, regional, and local history as 
they produce their original research projects. By encouraging young 
Coloradoans to take advantage of the wealth of primary historical 
resources available to them, students gain a richer understanding of 
historical issues, ideas, people, and events. Students in this program 
learn how to analyze a variety of primary sources such as photographs, 
letters, diaries, magazines, maps, artifacts, sound recordings, and 
motion pictures. This significant academic exercise encourages 
intellectual growth while helping students to develop critical thinking 
and problem-solving skills that will help them manage and use 
information, now and in the future. For more than 25 years the National 
History Day program has promoted systemic educational reform related to 
the teaching and learning of history in America's schools. The 
combination of creativity and scholarship built into the NHD program 
anticipated current educational reforms, making National History Day a 
leading model of performance-based learning.
  These impressive students represent educational excellence in 
America, Every student in Colorado should have the opportunity to 
participate in this enriching program.
  These students' teachers also deserve our respect. They are fine 
examples of the best in the teaching profession. Their encouragement 
and dedication has encouraged these students to strive for excellence 
and be successful in their endeavors.
  The winners from Colorado's First Congressional District are Bryon 
Christman, Jacob DeCroce, Zander Chanin, Shannon Desmond, Tracy 
Fielder, Riley Price, Chloe Armao, Nyasha James-Davis, Aura Cruz, 
Jaqueline A. Meraz, Eboni Coleman, Faryn Tobler, Brigitte Siller, Norah 
Kissell, Jon Shockness, Akil Lugman, Nick Thorne, Alisha McKenzie, Jake 
Mundel, Kelsey E. Isberg, Annie Woodward, Ryan Brown, Kara Miller, 
Sarah Goode, Lila Creighton, Gabe Stein, Avery Colomb, Aaron Bernhardt, 
Adrian Leanzu, Brian Lays, Meera Rao, Laura King, Kira Newman, Adrienne 
Russman, David Schneider, John Stanford, Natalie Lays, Christie 
Collins, Madeleine Winslow, Chelsea Proctor, Cassie Cherry, Elliott 
Collins, Scott Sigman.

                          ____________________