Walking on UWM’s campus Saturday was like using a time machine. You encountered history in every room, with opportunities to learn about Theodore Roosevelt’s work establishing America’s national parks system, recall Mary Lou Retton’s triumph in the 1984 Olympics, and discover the origins of the Red Cross.
Southeastern Wisconsin marked National History Day on March 7. But throughout the month, middle and high students statewide are competing in regional events to determine who qualifies for the state-level History Day contest and a chance to advance to the national competition. Students must complete research relating to an overall theme and present it in any number of forms – a documentary, an exhibit, a paper, a website or a performance. They explain their research to three judges who determine which projects should advance to the state level.
Ellen Langill, who teaches history at UWM, coordinates the southeastern regional competition, which includes more than 200 student projects and nearly 100 volunteer judges. The event introduces UWM to many families in the greater Milwaukee area.
“Some schools bring as many as 50 or 60 students,” Langill said. “We really get top students who come, and they do amazing research.”
History Day is a large outreach event connecting UWM to secondary school students each year. For many competitors, History Day is the first time they have ever stepped foot on campus.
“It’s really cool,” said Ryan Kennedy, an eighth-grader at the University School of Milwaukee. He stood in the Wisconsin Room in the UWM Student Union next to his project explaining the leadership and legacy of Theodore Roosevelt. “I probably would come back again.”
“A lot of these are students who are from the area, so UWM could be a choice for them (for college),” said Tamara Lange, one of the legion UWM graduates, professors, teaching assistants and graduate students who volunteered to judge and supervise the event. Lange received a master’s degree in history from UWM in 2004.
Hosting History Day and providing this opportunity is important because it gives students experience in public speaking, research, crafting arguments and writing, Langill said. History teaches students how to think about the world around them and encourages them to contribute their own ideas.
“You have to analyze and you have to support an argument and you have to look for evidence,” Langill said. “For these students, they not only have to do that, but also produce history. They have to go that next step, which is to write and create.”
