Wyoming History Day is sponsored by:

• The American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming
• The Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources
• The Wyoming State Historical Society

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Preparations Underway for District and State Contests

During this transition year, both the state and district coordinators are busy gearing up for their contest.

The new District 3 History Day Coordinator, Dee Bicek, of the American Association of University Women, has set the District 3 Competition for Saturday, March 18 at Casper College. Jo Ann Butts, who is replacing Brad Barlow, the long-time District 5 Coordinator, has decided on Wednesday, March 8 for her contest date. Veteran District 4 Coordinator Gary McDowell will hold the Junior Competition March 9 and the Senior Competition on the following Monday, March 13. First, second and third place winners at the district competitions are eligible to compete at the state contest, scheduled for Monday, April 17^th in Casper.

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It is never too early to start planning for History Day  

With that in mind, The National History Day Office has tentatively established the following themes for future competitions:

2000 – Turning Points in History: People, Ideas & Event
2001 – Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas;
2002 – Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History;
2003 - Rights & Responsibilities in History;
2004 – Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History;
2005 – Communication in History: The Key to Understanding;
2006 – Taking A Stand in History;
2007 – Triumph & Tragedy in History;
2008 – The Individual in History.

Students encouraged to compete for special awards at State Competition

This year Wyoming History Day anticipates offering over 20 special awards (see complete listing at left) including:

An award sponsored by the National World War II Memorial. The best junior and senior division entries relating to World War II will receive savings bonds and a special edition World War II stamp collection.

Other awards being offered for the first time are the Gerald R. & Jessie F. Chambers Wyoming History Day Award for the best overall Junior and Senior Division entries. Winners will receive a $500 cash award.

Stan Lowe of Casper has asked to sponsor a $100 scholarship for the student who creates the best entry relating to Admiral Emory Land. During World War II Admiral Land was chairman of the U.S. Maritime Commission and is remembered as a major architect of the victory of the Allied Forces. Mr. Lowe is the author of a work about Admiral Land’s many accomplishments.

District Coordinators and other interested parties are also encouraged to submit their nomination(s) for the Wyoming History Day Teacher of Merit Award. The winner of this award will be someone who has used creative teaching methods to bring history into their classroom and has demonstrated a commitment to helping students develop their interests in history. The winner of this award is eligible for the National History Day Teacher of Merit Award.

We are also asking teachers to suggest potential recipients for the Muth-Irvine Spirit Award. This award is for students who have overcome adversity in preparing for Wyoming History Day. Nomination forms are available at our WEB site at www.uwyo.edu/ahc/historyday.

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Special Awards at State Competition

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Update on November Teacher Workshop

The first in a planned series of annual teacher workshops was held at the American Heritage Center on November 12th.

Special thanks to all of the teachers and presenters who took a day from their busy schedules. And of course we could not have held the workshop without the support of The World War II Memorial and National History Day.

The feedback we received has been quite positive and we have already started discussing next year’s workshop. We will keep you informed as soon as some decisions are made as to time, place and content.

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Campbell Offers Possible Topic Ideas

As part of his session on creating a History Day entry Dr. Campbell and the other teachers at the middle school came up with a list of possible topics relating to the theme "Turning Points."

Dr. Robert Campbell, of the University of Wyoming Lab School, and a History Day veteran, gave many concrete suggestions on how to incorporate History Day into the classroom curriculum.

Wyoming Topics:

• Union Pacific Railroad
• Wind River Indian Reservation
• Homestead Act of 1862
• Women Homesteaders
• Women Get the Vote in Wyoming
• Surviving the Great Depression
• Droughts, Blizzards and the Ranching Industry
• How Technology has Shaped Agriculture
• Federal Laws & Public Lands in Wyoming
• Heart Mountain
• The Wyoming Homefront in WWII
• Wyoming Women at Work in WWII – Building B17s at Cheyenne’s United Airline Conservation Factory

As part of his presentation Dr. Campbell brought in some students who had previously competed at the national contest to impart their words of wisdom.

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Important Dates for Wyoming History Day

District 1 Contest 

To Be Announced

District 2 Contest 

To Be Announced

District 3 Contest 

District 4 Contest 

District 5 Contest 

District 6 Contest 

To Be Announced

District 7 Contest 

To Be Announced

State Contest 

April 17, Casper

National Contest 

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Web Site Updates

Our new WEB site is up and running but still under construction. Among the features we plan to add:

• Newsletters on-line
• Information on Special Awards, including nomination; forms for Teacher of the Year and the Spirit Award;
• Information on using primary resources in the classroom;
• The address is: www.uwyo.edu/ahc/historyday

• Contest Guide on-line. History day veterans will tell you this booklet is invaluable and can answer almost all of your questions;
• The address is: www.thehistorynet.com/NationalHistoryDay

Of special interest to teachers:

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