[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 28, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CONGRATULATING NATIONAL HISTORY DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 28, 2012

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate National 
History Day, a year-long academic program focused on improving the 
teaching and learning of history for 6th to 12th grade students, for 
receiving a 2011 National Humanities Medal presented on February 13 at 
the White House by President Obama. Inaugurated in 1997, the National 
Humanities Medal honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened 
the nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened citizens' 
engagement, or helped preserve and expand Americans' access to 
important resources in the humanities. I am proud to recognize National 
History Day as the first K 12 education program that has received this 
honor ``for sparking passion for history in students across our 
country.''
  National History Day is a program that can be integrated into any 
social studies or history classroom, as it helps teachers expand and 
enrich the existing curriculum. With schools spending more resources 
and time focusing on reading and math education, it is important that 
we also recognize and support programs that help to provide a well-
rounded education that raises the bar for students and strengthens the 
instructional practice of teachers.
  In every state and in hundreds of communities around the country, 
National History Day affiliates work with classroom teachers and 
students who choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct 
extensive primary and secondary research through libraries, archives, 
museums, oral history interviews and historic sites. In my own state of 
Maryland, the Maryland National History Day program is sponsored by the 
Maryland Humanities Council. Last year about 19,000 students from 158 
different middle and high schools participated across the state at the 
local, state and national levels. The program is an outstanding example 
of outcome-based and performance-based learning.
  I am also proud that each June students travel from all 50 states, 
the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories to participate in 
the culminating four-day event held at the University of Maryland at 
College Park where professional historians and educators evaluate their 
projects. Attending the National History Day national contest where 
students are working in groups as well as individually to make history 
come alive is truly a unique experience. Each student is able to become 
an expert on a chosen topic while they further develop college- and 
career-ready skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and oral 
and written communication. More than 5 million students have gone on to 
careers in business, law, medicine and countless other disciplines 
where they are putting into practice what they learned through National 
History Day.
  As legislators, we are all interested in promoting increased student 
achievement and a deeper understanding of the impact of history on our 
everyday lives. For 30 years, the National History Day program has been 
transforming the way history is taught and learned in classrooms all 
over the country improving education every day.

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