VOLUNTEERS NEEDED 2/18/25 The
Illinois State Museum is seeking judges and volunteers for the student Illinois
History Day competition May 1st at the Bank of Springfield Center in
Springfield. Illinois
History Day judges are tasked with evaluating student projects and determining
which students advance to the next level of competition. Judges are not
required to have a degree in history but must possess a willingness to give
positive, constructive and useable feedback to student competitors. All
judges will be trained and made to feel confident ahead of the competition. Additional
volunteers are needed to assist with wayfinding, greeting, and tear-down after
the competition. Last year, the event drew 621 students to the Illinois
contest. Illinois
History Day is a project-based learning program designed to take students in 6th
through 12th grades on a journey through research, analysis, and
discovery. Students conduct in-depth research on a topic of their
choosing to prove their historical argument. Research
is presented in the form of an exhibit, documentary, website, research paper or
live performance. Students present their project at one of four regional
competitions across the state with a chance to compete at the Illinois History
Day state contest in Springfield. Winners of that competition will get a
chance to compete at the National History Day Contest in Washington, DC, in
June. The
2025 competition theme is rights and responsibilities in history.
Students will research and explain the rights and responsibilities found
within their topic. "National
History Day in Illinois is such an important program for middle and high school
learners to gain skills and confidence in the history and humanity
fields," said Jenn Edginton, Director of the Illinois State Museum, which
sponsors the event. "This program aims to inspire the next
generation of future historians." Interested
judges and volunteers should contact Illinois History Day state coordinator
Laura Mitchelle at laura.mitchelle@illinois.gov. Illinois
History Day began in 1947 as a publication titled "Illinois Junior
Historian" and later "Illinois History" sponsored by the
Illinois State Historical Society and the Lincoln Presidential Library and then
the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The first history day fair
took place in 1963, before the emergence of National History Day in 1974.
In 2023, the Illinois State Museum became the official sponsor and home
for Illinois History Day.