Travel Money Available for Louisiana Students

Louisiana History Day is the Museum’s initiative to recognize outstanding history teachers and students in Louisiana.  An affiliate of National History Day, the Museum sponsors five regional contests throughout the state and a culminating State Contest held at the Museum in April.  Our State Contest winners receive the opportunity to present their work to a national audience at the National History Day Contest held every June at the University of Maryland.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Selley Foundation, students participating in Louisiana History Day are receiving support to travel to both the State and National Contests.  Students who advance from the Regional Contests held in Monroe and Shreveport can earn up to a $150 travel reimbursement to compete in the State Contest at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans.  Schools that arrange transportation for students can be the recipients of the travel reimbursements.  This money is applied to hotel and transportation costs.  From these Regional Contests, up to five projects per category advance to State.   All categories are explained further on our web site.  All categories have both middle and high school divisions, and are further separated into group and individual projects. 

The top two projects in each category advance to the National History Day Contest.  The Selley Foundation is covering up to $500 worth of expenses to the National Contest in College Park, MD.  While at this weeklong contest, students have the opportunity to tour Washington, D.C., interact with students from all 50 states, and compete for cash prizes in all categories plus a range of special prizes for specific topics.

Every year, one middle and one high school teacher are selected as Louisiana History Day Teachers of the Year.  These teachers earn a $500 prize and compete for the honor of National History Day Teacher of the Year and the $10,000 prize that accompanies it.  Last year, the awards went to LaToya Bailey of Helen Cox High School in Marrero and Esther Perez-Zemmels of John Quincy Adams Middle School in Metairie.

Contest season begins in March, and there is still time to notify the Museum of your willingness to participate.  Louisiana History Day is open to all Louisiana students in grades 6-12.  Public, private, charter, and home school students are welcome to participate and are all equally eligible to the travel awards.  Interested students can enter with or without the participation of their school.  The Museum will work with all interested teachers, students, and families to find research sources on any topic, clarify the rules, and revise projects for competition.  To contact our History Day coordinator, email historyday@nationalww2museum.org or call 504-528-1944 ext. 350.

This post by Louisiana History Day Coordinator Nathan Huegen