Tennessee History Day
The Society of Tennessee Archivists is pleased to continue its relationship with Tennessee History Day, and we’re looking for a few volunteers among our membership who are willing to help.
To host a successful competition for the students, their teachers and parents, the Tennessee Historical Society needs volunteers to serve as judges of student projects. I am writing to you today to ask you to please consider joining STA in this volunteer effort on April 21st. Attached you’ll find details on the specific needs and the required commitment.
Each year, the STA awards $50 to the best History Day project in both the Junior Division and Senior Division that uses primary sources such as letters, diaries, personal papers, photographs, etc., for research on a historical topic. The sources must be from an institution located in Tennessee. Primary sources in Tennessee can be found in archival repositories such as city or county archives, church archives, history museums, local history departments in libraries, or the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Special consideration will be given to students who do on-site research at the repository rather than using online resources.
We’d like to make sure that STA is well-represented at Tennessee History Day. If you would like to volunteer to be a judge, or provide assistance in some other way, please contact Jennifer Core, state coordinator for Tennessee History Day, at the Tennessee Historical Society by phone at: 615-741-8934 or by e-mail at: historyday@tennesseehistory.org. I hope you’ll consider joining me and the Society of Tennessee Archivists in this rewarding experience.
Thank you,
- Gordon
Dear [member]:
Tennessee History Day needs you!
Tennessee History Day is a state affiliate of National History Day and the Tennessee Historical Society is proud to be the sponsor of the state-level History Day competition. On Saturday, April 21, 2012, approximately 250 students from across the state of Tennessee will travel to Nashville to compete in the state-level competition to be held in downtown Nashville. Winners at the state competition will go on to College Park, Maryland, to represent Tennessee at the National History Day competition in June.
To host a successful competition for the students, their teachers and parents, the THS needs approximately 100 volunteers to serve as judges of student projects and approximately 30 additional volunteers to help with registration, room monitoring, and other duties.
I am writing to you today to ask you to please consider volunteering on April 21st. The students need your support! Below you’ll find details on our specific needs and the required commitment.
Judges
The commitment to serve as a judge requires that you be in downtown Nashville at approximately 8:30 a.m. on April 21st for a one hour orientation. Judging will begin that day around 10 a.m. and will continue until around 1:30 p.m. Lunch and a light breakfast will be provided. Prior to April 21st, you will be provided with materials regarding the specific category in which you’ll be judging. Students depend on the feedback provided by the judges to learn more about their topic and to improve their projects before competing at a higher level. The judging process is critical to the success of the competition and to the learning process for these students.
Judges will review projects in one of five categories: museum-style exhibit, multimedia documentary, website, research paper, or dramatic performance. You’ll be judging in either the Junior Division (grades 6-8) or Senior Division (grades 9-12). If you have a preference for what category or division you’d like to judge in, please let us know and we’ll do our best to honor your request.
Other Volunteers
The commitment to serve as a volunteer in other capacities varies depending on the post. While some volunteers will be needed as early as 8 a.m. on the day of competition, most will arrive by 9 a.m. and should be finished no later than 3 p.m. We need volunteers to help with set-up, student and teacher registration, room monitoring, and many other duties. Lunch will also be provided.
If you are willing to volunteer as a judge or in some other capacity, please let us know. If you have more questions about the commitment, please do not hesitate to ask!
Thank you so much for considering my request! If you have volunteered before, you know that History Day is a rewarding volunteer experience. If you haven’t, come see what it is all about! To learn more about Tennessee History Day, visit our website at http://www.tennesseehistoryday.org. If you’d like to see what a History Day project looks like, just click on Sample Projects.
Thanks again!
Jennifer C. Core
Mary E. Meyers
State Coordinators, Tennessee History Day
Tennessee Historical Society
Ground Floor, War Memorial Building
Nashville, TN 37243
615-741-8934
historyday@tennesseehistory.org
http://www.tennesseehistory.org/historyday.htm