The History Channel(R) Honors Nation's Brightest Young Historians

The History Channel(R) Honors Nation's Brightest Young Historians

Over 2,000 Finalists Compete for Top History Awards at Twenty-Fifth Annual National History Day Competition June 12-16th

NEW YORK, June 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading historians, curators and even scientists have the daunting task of judging this year's more than 2,000 finalists as they compete for top awards and scholarship money as part of National History Day (NHD), a yearlong education program for sixth- through 12th-grade students. The History Channel(R), a leading sponsor of National History Day, provides $20,000 in cash prizes to four winning senior student projects as well as the Outstanding History Educator Award to a teacher who has made exceptional contributions to history education. The competition culminates this year on June 12-16 at the University of Maryland.

The field has been narrowed from over 700,000 middle and high school students who have competed at the district and state levels leading up to the national finals. National History Day is successfully helping to improve the teaching and learning of history in schools across the country year round. Projects that make it to the finals often make history themselves.

This year's theme of "Communication in History: The Key to Understanding" has inspired projects from a wide range of subjects. Students have done in-depth research on Navajo Code Talkers, Space Satellite Communication, Pony Express, Freedom Singers of the Civil Rights movement, and the White House Press Corp. The students have interviewed Nobel Prize winners and accessed National Security files to create original research relating to local and national history. Students present their findings in the form of museum-like exhibits, multimedia documentaries, dramatic performances, or research paper.

"For twenty-five years National History Day has inspired middle and high school students across the country to produce high quality projects which help history come alive and resonate for all of us. The History Channel is honored to sponsor this extraordinary program which continues to help teachers and students connect with history in a vital and meaningful way," said Dr. Libby O'Connell, Chief Historian, The History Channel. "The History Channel support helps ensure that these outstanding students will be able to continue their education and therefore motivate others."

The History Channel Web site will showcase the Awards Ceremony of National History Day during a LIVE Webcast on http://www.historychannel.com/ Thursday, June 16 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET/PT. Satellite Feed Opportunity is scheduled for June 16th, 2005, 6;00-6:30 p.m. ET. Transponder: IA5C/05 (TELSTAR 5C/05) analog (analog C band), 970 West Longitude, uplink 6025 Horizontal, downlink 3800 Vertical. Transmissions Trouble #202-408-3424.

NHD's goal is to promote the study of history by engaging students in the excitement of historic inquiry and creative presentation. Through publications and education programs, NHD trains teachers to move students beyond textbooks and expand their classrooms to include libraries, museums and archives. Nationwide 40,000 currently use NHD curriculum materials. The NHD program received the Charles Frankel Prize for Public Programming and collaborated with the National Archives to create "Our Documents," a national initiative on American history, civics, and service. More information is available at http://www.nhd.org/.

Now reaching more than 88 million Nielsen subscribers, The History Channel(R), "Where the Past Comes Alive(R)," brings history to life in a powerful manner and provides an inviting place where people experience history personally and connect their own lives to the great lives and events of the past. In 2004, The History Channel received five News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and previously received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's "Save Our History(R)" campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel web site is located at http://www.historychannel.com/. Press Only: For more information and photo opportunity please visit us on the web at http://www.historychannel.com/.

Source: The History Channel

CONTACT: Susan Raisch For The History Channel, +1-718-667-5576, or sraisch@verizon.net; or Mark Robinson for National History Day, +1-301-314-9542, or mark@nhd.org

Web site: http://www.historychannel.com/ http://www.nhd.org/

------- Profile: Ent