On Thursday, February 20, 2020, the Lamar University history department hosted its eleventh annual National History Day regional competition. Dr. Tina Kibbe and Cassandre Durso organized the event.

The regional competition qualifies junior high and high school students to participate in the State History Day competition held in Austin. Both the regional and state gatherings are part of National History Day and are conducted under the auspices of the Texas State Historical Association.

National History Day (NHD) is a highly regarded academic program for elementary and secondary school students. Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of teachers nationwide, participate in the NHD contest. Students choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive primary and secondary research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews, and historic sites.

After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics' significance in history, students present their work in original papers, websites, exhibits, performances, and information features. These products are entered into competitions in the spring at local, state, and national levels, where they are assessed by professional historians and educators.

The program culminates in the National Contest each June, held on the campus of the University of Maryland at College Park. To learn more about the National History Day program, visit www.nhd.org.