BY LORI VAN PELT

Can you hear them? Fingers tapping on keyboards, video cameras whirring and actors vocalizing. These sounds mingle annually with the historic creak of wagon wheels, the cheers of crowds at past sports events and the debates of attorneys and politicians and others from then and now and occur throughout the state as students prepare to participate in Wyoming History Day.

Some of Wyoming’s History Day entries have placed at the top of the national competition this year and in years past, and are absolutely top-notch. See, for example Laramie students Hazel Homer-Wambeam and Jackson Higgins’s entry The Golden Age of Radio: Turning Points in American Culture which won the Junior Group Performance Category this year in the national competition in College Park, Maryland, and Jackson students Brianne Beale and Nicole Collins, whose entry The Gray Wolf Reintroduction: A Scientific Approach to Protect The Yellowstone Ecosystem won third place this year in nationals in the senior group documentary division.

The competition, administered by the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming, inspires students in grades 6 through 12 to explore Wyoming’s history in a variety of ways: research papers, dramatic performances, multimedia documentaries and exhibits. These projects are then evaluated at local and state levels, and if selected, can be entered into national competition as well.  

WHD Coordinator Richard Kean said via email, “History Day is an effective teaching tool that develops students’ academic abilities and sparks their love of learning.” Last year, 2,318 students participated in Wyoming. According to Kean, while many teachers include a history day project as part of their curriculum, some students tackle the projects in addition to normal coursework. Some schools, he said, have History Day Clubs. Students involved in those groups are also pursuing their projects as extracurricular activities.

In addition to the rewards of learning and the satisfaction of accomplishment, students can earn scholarships and monetary awards from a number of different donors. They include: Taco John’s Special Award, $3,000; American Heritage Center/University of Wyoming scholarship, $1,000; and Wyoming State Historical Society scholarships of $1,000 and $500. Kean said that in 2014, a new award of $500 will be presented from the UW College of Engineering and Applied Sciences to a winner in the Junior Division and a winner in the Senior Division.

Three Wyoming students have won at the National History Day competition in recent years, Kean said. Jacob Zumo received top honors in the Junior Individual Documentary Division in 2008 for his film about the Black 14 at UW; Robert Coulter placed first in the same category in 2009 for a piece about his Uncle Senni; and in 2013, Hazel Homer-Wambeam and Jackson Higgins won the Junior Group Performance Category for their entry, “The Golden Age of Radio.”

Kean explained that an extensive study conducted by National History Day researchers showed conclusively that “History Day students perform better on all types of assessments and exhibit higher academic skill levels than their peers.” Kean reports that students who have participated have found success in many different fields. “Many admit that it is hard work,” he said, “but worth the effort.”

Kean recruits judges for the state competition from his contacts at UW, the Wyoming State Museum, AHC, WSHS and educators. These interested parties volunteer, donating both time and expertise “to make the WHD contest a valuable learning experience for the students.”

Local-level competitions are slated for March 2014, with the state competition at UW in Laramie April 6-7. The theme this year is “Rights and Responsibilities.” For more information, contact Kean at rkean@uwyo.edu or call him at (307) 766-2300.

Kean’s keys to a successful project

For students planning to enter this year’s contest, Kean offered his “keys to developing a great project.”
They are:

• Choose a topic that interests you.
• Do thorough research.
• Tie your thesis to the annual theme.
• Ask knowledgeable people to critique your work and make sure you follow the rules.
• Don’t take shortcuts.

Check out our Calendar

Under “WyoHistory.org news” near the bottom of the home page, click on Learn more under “Calendar,” and find a Google calendar of upcoming talks, re-enactments, gatherings and other history-related events around Wyoming.

Please contact Editor Tom Rea at editor@wyohistory.org for information about how you can submit activities to our calendar of upcoming history events throughout Wyoming. 

Come join us as we explore Wyoming’s History. We welcome your feedback. Send comments, questions or suggestions to Tom Rea at editor@wyohistory.org.

Your support is appreciated

We want to keep this website as a permanent and growing archive of Wyoming’s history. We welcome your support. You can donate via PayPal, or contact Editor Tom Rea directly at editor@wyohistory.org.