Exeter High School Students Win New Hampshire History Day Contest for Documentary on Emancipation Proclamation
Two students from Exeter High
School traveled to Plymouth State University on March 31st to compete with
students from 14 school districts around the state for honors in the 9th
annual New Hampshire History Day competition.
The 2012 National History Day
theme is “Revolution, Reaction and Reform.” The students, Chandra Boudreau and
Ainsley Katz, both juniors, won First Place in the Senior Group documentary
category for their film, “By Word and Sword: Revolutionary Reactions to
Lincoln's Wartime Reform.” The film examined goals for the Emancipation's
issuance, reactions from different groups in the North and South, and the
enduring legacy of the document.
Chandra and Ainsley began
work on their film last June, just as the national commemoration of the 150th
anniversary of the American Civil War was underway. Chandra Boudreau was able
to conduct interviews with leading Civil War historians while attending the
Civil War Institute during the summer. As a member of the First Place Senior
Group Documentary team from Exeter High School who participated in the
Nationals last year, Chandra applied insights she learned to make this year's
film a stronger entry. “We learned a great deal during the research
process,” Chandra said. “It was amazing to speak with so many historians for
modern perspectives on the Emancipation Proclamation.”
Her partner, Ainsley Katz
said, "We chose this topic because the complexity of the Emancipation
Proclamation is often overlooked. Not only did the North have infighting over
emancipation, but Lincoln himself struggled between his morality and his strong
commitment to salvaging the Union."
The two students are now
eligible to travel to the National History Day competition in Maryland, June
10-14, 2012 and will be working between now and then to raise the funds
necessary for the trip. Their faculty coach, Exeter High School history teacher
Molly Stevenson, who accompanied them to the History Day in New Hampshire
competition, commented The extensive primary and secondary research as well as
the interviews of historians and skills required to craft the film is a great
example of real-world history work. There are clear deadlines and the final
product needs to be educational and engaging for a public audience.”
The students now need to
raise funds for the cost of their trip to Nationals. They are also very
interested in showing the film to local groups or classes. For more
information, contact Molly Stevenson at mstevenson@sau16.org or 603-395-2574
The Kenneth E. Behring National History Day
Contest in June is the final stage of a series of contests at local and state
levels. The contest is named for Mr. Behring in recognition of his support of
NHD. Each year roughly 2,400 students and their parents and teachers gather at
the University of Maryland, College Park for the week-long event. These
enthusiastic groups come from all over the United States, Guam, American Samoa,
Department of Defense Schools in Europe, and even Shanghai, China. “The National
History Day excitement can be felt across the campus,” says the National
History Day website. “After spending months on research and preparing their
projects, and competing at local and state contests, these students are eager
to show their hard work at the national level.” For more information on
National History Day, visit www.nationalhistoryday.org
Photo:Exeter High
School students Chandra Boudreau (left) and Ainsley Katz (right) win History
Day in New Hampshire competition.
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