Seoul International School hosts National History Day Korea 2024
James Kowalski, left, Steven Nave / Courtesy of Seoul International School
National History Day (NHD) Korea 2024 will be held at Seoul International School (SIS) on Saturday and bring together 572 students from 27 schools around Korea, presenting 325 projects.
James Kowalski and Steven Nave, social studies teachers at the high school, took the time to answer some questions about the event.
Q: What is NHD?
A: NHD is an educational non-profit organization that engages teachers and students in historical research. The mission of NHD is to improve the teaching and learning of history in middle and high school through an innovative framework of historical inquiry and research. Students learn history by selecting topics of interest, launching year-long research projects and presenting their findings through creative approaches and media.
Beginning in the fall, students choose a topic and conduct extensive primary and secondary research. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topic's significance in history, students present their work in original papers, exhibits, performances, websites or documentaries. Students who place first or second at NHD Korea are eligible to participate in the NHD National Contest held each June at the University of Maryland at College Park in the United States.
Each year, National History Day selects a theme to provide a lens through which students can examine history. The annual theme frames the research for students and teachers alike. It is intentionally broad enough to allow students to select topics from any place — local, national or global — and any period in history. The school year 2023-24's theme is "Turning Points in History."
Q: What is the takeaway for students participating in NHD?
A: When studying history through research, students and teachers practice critical inquiry, asking questions of significance, time and place. History students become immersed in a detective story. More broadly, NHD benefits students and teachers alike, enabling students to control their learning by selecting topics and modes of expression that match their interests and strengths. NHD provides program expectations and guidelines for students, but the research journey is unique to each project. Throughout the year, students develop essential skills by fostering intellectual curiosity and thinking both critically and creatively. Through this process, they hone their skills to manage and use information now and in the future, including critical thinking, problem-solving, argumentation, writing and citation.
Q: How can students participate and prepare?
A: Students began working on their NHD projects in the fall, refining their research questions, source material and execution. Participants registered for the Korea affiliate contest by Dec. 1, 2023, on the website korea.nhd.org. Students will participate individually or as part of a team of two to five members. The contest is on Saturday on the Seoul International School campus.
Q. Why did SIS take on the responsibility of hosting it? What does it mean for our student organizers?
A: Hosting NHD Korea is a great honor and opportunity to provide students with a platform to engage rigorously with historical problems. The leadership of SIS has been unwaveringly supportive and enthusiastic about serving as host of NHD Korea, welcoming over 600 participating students, teachers and judges from across the region.
Responsibilities for hosting this event are divided primarily between the affiliate coordinators and a student council. The affiliate coordinators work directly with the NHD headquarters in Washington and teacher sponsors at each participating school to ensure a seamless operation that meets the standards of the NHD program.
The affiliate coordinators also operate the website, process registration, recruit and train judges and organize logistics for the day of the contest. The student council, meanwhile, is primarily responsible for communicating with local vendors for contest supplies, such as equipment and souvenirs, designing promotional materials, working with student volunteers and assisting with coordination.
Q: What would you like to tell the students reading this article?
A: As affiliate coordinators, we, James Kowalski and Steve Nave, cordially invite all students in grades 6 to 12 to participate in the National History Day Korea contest! You can learn more about it by visiting our affiliate website at korea.nhd.org, as well as our parent website at www.nhd.org. We are glad to answer any questions that students, parents, or teachers may have, so feel free to contact us via email at kowalskij@siskorea.org and naves@siskorea.org.