NFA Hosts CT History Day Contest March 23

From Norwich Free Academy: Connecticut History Day is coming to NFA tomorrow. For the first time, NFA has been selected as the host site for the Southeastern Connecticut region of this annual competition. The program encourages students, grades 6-12, to explore local, state, national, and world history through selecting topics, conducting research, and analyzing their findings with a final project to demonstrate their work.

NFA’s Atrium will serve as the hub of the day’s activities with events beginning at 8 a.m. Judging will take place, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m., in Norton Gym and the Converse and Tirrell Buildings as students compete in categories including exhibits, papers, documentaries, websites, and performances. Awards will be given in Slater at 1 p.m.

The projects are entered into a series of competitions, from the local to the national level. Professional historians and educators evaluate them.

Karen Cook, Head of the History & Social Studies Department, is excited to bring the
competition to campus. “Bringing History Day to NFA is a great opportunity for us to showcase NFA student talent and celebrate excellence in history education with middle and high school
students and educators in our region,” she said. “We are excited to host the judges and competitors and share the rich history of Norwich Free Academy and the resources of the Slater
Museum. This is a great day to celebrate the research, creativity and scholarship of our students.”

The event is expected to draw about 150 students from all over Southeastern Connecticut, including 40 participants from NFA. NFA is one of 6 regional sites in the state. Connecticut History Day is one of 57 affiliate programs of the highly regarded National History Day program.