Shaker Heights High School will open its doors from 7 to 9 p.m. on April 7 so residents can see history in the making – literally.

On display will be videos, papers, performances, and exhibits created by students after months of research, writing, and refinement. The projects will be entered in the regional National History Day competition at Case Western Reserve University two days later.

“We wanted to create an opportunity for families and the community to see the work our students are doing, so we came up with the idea of The Night for History Day,” said Tim Mitchell, Advanced Placement U.S. History teacher and social studies department chair. “The depth and quality of the work just keep getting better, and we are proud to share it with the public.”

Shaker has amassed an impressive record in History Day competitions at the regional, state, and national levels. Last year, for example, five entries from Shaker finished in the top 10 in their respective categories in the national competition.

Students in Advanced Placement U.S. History and Modern European History were required to do extensive research and preparation, develop an original thesis and demonstrate their knowledge and conclusions about this year’s theme, the role of communications in history.

The projects vary in format, ranging from formal term papers and exhibits to dramatic performances and documentary videos. Students may work in groups or create individual projects. About 40 students elected to enter their projects in the optional regional competition. Mitchell and colleagues Dann Parker and Terry Pollack provide guidance and suggest resources along the way. Faculty members from the theatre arts department occasionally offer performance pointers.

“A.P. U.S. and Modern Euro are intense survey courses,” Mitchell said. “We have to move quickly to cover the material prescribed by The College Board. History Day allows students to select one component of that course, craft a project around it, and feel some ownership over it. They have to connect it to larger themes. Their more creative instincts can emerge.”

Included this year are a singing performance based on Civil War-era letters, a video on the 1848 Seneca Falls convention on women’s rights, and a performance of original songs based on the medieval troubadours of Europe. Themes related to human and civil rights are popular among Shaker’s socially conscious students.

Whatever form the project takes, the research process is the same. Students are encouraged to use primary sources – “doing history” the way scholars do. The search can take them to the Cleveland Public Library’s outstanding research collection and local college libraries. In some cases, they must go far afield. One student traveled to Washington, D.C., to get access to documents, and one has corresponded with an author about the Danish resistance movement.

In addition to research skills, Mitchell said, the competition “teaches leadership, initiative, and focus.”

National History Day was created in 1974 by David Van Tassel, a professor at Case Western Reserve University. Initially intended as a local competition, it grew to become a national program with about 700,000 participants each year.

Shaker students have been involved in the program since its inception. Both participation and success in the competition have increased in recent years – in turn inspiring more students to enter.

“Several of our current students had older brothers and sisters who participated,” Mitchell said. “They have seen how the process works and it has become a family tradition.”

Site Map  |   March 23, 2005