National History Day News

This August kids 12 and under get in free to historic sites.

Daily Archives

Teachers > National History Day > 2004 Nationals > Archived Reports

National History Day 2004 Finals

Wednesday, June 16

Senior Final Rounds and Visit with Senator Kohl

Senator Herb Kohl and
a group of Wisconsin's History
Day participants.

With the regular presentation rounds finished, today offered another opportunity for Team Wisconsin to travel off campus. From the Smithsonian Museum of American History to the National Cathedral to the nighttime illumination tour of Washington D.D., the delegation had a wonderful time.

Part of our group traveled to the Hart Senate Office Building this afternoon to visit with Senator Kohl, who discussed several national political issues, including the importance of college education. One member of the group said she found Senator Kohl's explanation of his daily activities most interesting. Today, for instance, he met with the King of Jordan.

Three Wisconsin students remained on campus this morning to present their group performance in the senior division final round category. Leah, Danielle, and Karlee did a wonderful job and have a lot to be proud of. They, as well as the rest of the delegation, are looking forward to the excitement of tomorrow morning's awards ceremony!

Emma and Sarah
Team Wisconsin Coordinators

Team Wisconsin relaxes before
a Wisconsin Delegation team
meeting on Wednesday night.

Wow! This whole experience has been really interesting! We have done a lot of hard work to get to where we got, Nationals. Overall, it was a great experience. My partner and I, Amber Will did a group documentary in the Junior Division on the Little Rock Crisis of 1957. Our title was Little Rock Crisis: African Americans Encountering Southern Public School Systems. It was a lot of fun doing our documentary because you got to experiment with technology. Neither of us had done History Day before, much less a documentary! We were pretty nervous the first time we presented at our school in Schofield, Wisconsin. Both of us wanted to do well in the competition, but we had no idea we would make it this far! We were happy we made it to regionals and before you knew it we were on our way to state and then nationals in Washington D.C.! I think one of the main things that helped our project was interviewing three of the Little Rock Nine. It was extremely interesting to listen and learn from a first hand account of what actually happened in their perspectives. The judges also loved it. I also loved hanging out in Washington D.C. I had never been there before and I saw so many awesome things! I came with my school, D.C. Everest because a lot of us made it to Nationals. We toured just about every day except competition day. We saw the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, JFK’s grave, the White House, Capital and the Holocaust Museum! I loved it, it rocked so much! We were only able to spend about five days there but it was worth it! The only downsides were that you had to walk A LOT, you’ll get sunburned and we didn’t really get to see everything we planned to. The Maryland Campus is so huge but you learn you’re way around it when you’re there for a week. If someone asked me if all that was worth it I would definitely tell him or her yes! This has been an amazing experience and I would do it in a snap all over again! It was like a mini vacation away from home, which was nice too. I also got to come with my friends and meet some new ones as well. We met tons of people from other states too. People were there from all 50 states! We got to trade buttons with them and get to know them, which was cool. I met so many people it was awesome. I also thought that the big dance on Tuesday night was ok, but it could have been better. The music kind of stunk. Mainly, I would like to stress that this has been a totally great experience for everyone. I would like to say that if anyone has the oppurtunity to participate in History Day, definitely go for it! Try your hardest and if you make it through a competition, don’t give up and chicken out and quit because your friends are or you’re sick of it. You don’t know what you’re missing. It’s so much fun I can’t even tell you! You have to participate! Good Luck and study hard!

Emily Wermund
DC Everest Junior High

Sam Schroeder of Holmen
Middle School is part of the group
performance, "Wanted Dead or Alive:
Billy the Kid and Jesse James."

Well, so far my NHD experience has been exhausting, but it has been fun too. We have seen all the basics so far; the Smithsonian, the monuments, the White House, the works. It’s been pretty busy. Don’t even talk to me after about three in the afternoon because I get cranky. After a long day, you come home with sore everything. It’s worth it, thought. I am with my favorite teachers, my family, and some of my best friends. Tomorrow, June 16th, we’re going to see the Holocaust Museum, the Lincoln Memorial, a tour of the capital and a tour of the FBI Academy. Today, we also went to see the Arlington Cemetery. IT was really hot out but it was still one of my favorites, along with Ford’s Theater and the Hard Rock Café.

This has been a long ride, with a lot of slumps. We had our problems (my NHD group and I), but we worked them out in the end. We found out that we aren’t going on into the “play-offs,” but at this point, none of us really care. We worked hard, and we get to be here. What more can you ask for? We’ll be back next year. We’re counting on it.

Sam Schroeder
Holmen Middle School

Teachers Jeff Bergstrom, Adrienne
Feirer, and Michael Blood enjoy
the presentation of Wisconsin's own
delegation awards, "The
Golden Guernseys."

This past week has been a very enjoyable for all of the students who participated in National History Day. The experience is one that they will never forget. The D.C. Everest students did a wonderful job of representing their school and state. All of the students who participated in National History Day did an excellent job and should be very proud. We are especially proud of Amber Will, Emily Wermund, Karlee Shaw, Ashley Vokral and Lindsay Berger for making it to the finals at National History Day.

In addition to the competition, we toured our nation’s capital. The students were able to see
Arlington National Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial and the World War II Memorial. Hopefully by viewing the memorials the students are able to gain a greater appreciation for the sacrifices that made our country what it is today. As the Korean War Memorial said, “Freedom isn’t Free”.

All of the National History Day participants were able to gain skills real world skills that will benefit them in no matter what profession they choose and gain a greater understanding why history matters!

Jeff Bergstrom
Teacher
D.C. Everest Jr. High

Wisconsin students, parents, and
teachers listen to Senator Herb Kohl
and the Hart Office Building.

This week has been an enlightening and rewarding experience for me. As a parent signing up to chaperone a few 15 and 16 year olds I didn’t know what to expect. I must say all the students from WI were very well behaved and a joy to be around. The competition was tremendous and all exhibits, performances and documentaries I saw were 1st class. I had missed the state competition so was naturally very impressed by what I saw here. It was simply amazing to see the hard work and talent that went into preparing for this event.

Aside from the competition it was rewarding to see all the students from all the cities around the state bond together, form friendships, and support each other during the week. They really were focused on why they were here, yet were able to enjoy themselves. As Emma said, everyone is a winner before arriving here.

Having never toured our nation’s capital before myself it was also very enjoyable to have the opportunity to go into D.C. several times to see all the sights and learn more about the history of our great country. I had fun challenging the students with history trivia.

I believe this National History Day program is a great opportunity for our students to really expand their thinking and display their talent beyond what is offered in a normal classroom setting. They have gained valuable experiences and skills that will help them in their future education and beyond. All the NHD participants, teachers and leaders did an outstanding job. Our state and the entire United States can really be proud of them all.

I would encourage all schools and our state to continue to promote and fund this program and would also recommend to any parent who has a student competing in this program to engage themselves and attend as well.

Karl Luebke
Parent
Sheboygan North High School

Cody Haro's exhibit about
Frank Lloyd Wright

My NHD experiences have been great. I have been working on my project for a year, and it has been great. I have learned a lot about a topic I really enjoy (Frank Lloyd Wright), I have made it all the way to Nationals, and I am here in D.C. exploring our nation’s capital. Even if I do not win, it has still been a great and memorable experience. I have seen the WWII memorial, the White House, and many of D.C. landmarks. Tomorrow, I will see the Capital and the FBI building. I am thankful to have been given this opportunity.

Cody Haro
Holmen Middle School

Danielle Reed, Karlee Shaw,
and Leah Sherfinski of D.C.
Everest High School wait for
the judges' signal to start
thier performance.

Janet Yearous takes the
Metro on her way to visit
Senator Herb Kohl.

Previous Reports

Questions about this page? Email us
Email this page to a friend

WHS Kids Site