Gilder Lehrman Institute: Civil War Essay Contest

We received news this morning that the Gilder Lehrman Institute (GLI) is co-sponsoring a Civil War Essay Contest with the Civil War Round Table of New York. 

The contest is open to the GLI's Affiliate Schools and students in grades 6-12. 

"Students examine the nation’s most divisive conflict through letters, speeches, songs, photographs, newspapers, military orders, and other documents, conducting research with primary as well as secondary sources."

Hawaii members of the Affiliate Schools Program are: 

Further contest details can be found here. The deadline for submissions is January 30, 2015. 

Contest: 'Lessons of Leadership' by the National History Club

The National History Club is holding the Lessons of Leadership Contest. 

Guidelines

This Spring marks the 150th anniversary of Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, bringing an end to the Civil War that killed over 600,000 Union and Confederate soldiers. 

This contest invites NHC chapter members to explore the causes, figures, and events of the Civil War. 

Students are asked to select an historical figure, analyze his/her decision making during the War, and detail how that person influenced the scope of the War and also History in general. 

Using descriptive examples of challenging decisions or vexing problems that this person had to make or solve, we seek people whose courage and honor can guide us today.

Contest entries can be submitted in any three of the following formats:

An essay of not more than 2,000 words, supplemented with a bibliography and endnotes. Entries may be submitted in either of the following forms: 1) Microsoft Word document or 2) PDF document.

A documentary that reflects your ability to communicate your figure’s importance, and also helps you develop skills in using photographs, video, graphic presentations, etc. Documentaries should not exceed more than 10 minutes, and sources used should be credited in an annotated bibliography.

A website that reflects your ability to use website design software and computer technology to communicate how your historical figure influenced history. Your website should include a collection of web pages, interconnected with hyperlinks, that presents primary and secondary sources and interactive multimedia. Sources used should be credited in an annotated bibliography.

All entries must be received by April 1, 2015.

Email to Bob Nasson at rnasson@nationalhistoryclub.org/  Please type Lessons of Leadership in the subject line. 

Submissions will be judged by the NHC Advisory Board. Winners will be announced at the end of April.

Awards

First Place - $2,000 

Second Place - $1,000 (two prizes) 

Third Place - $250 (four prizes) 

Paul Gagnon Prize Deadline: December 5. APPLY NOW

The Paul Gagnon Prize will be presented to either a K-12 history teacher who exhibits exceptional historical scholarship or an individual or group that has made a significant contribution to the promotion of history education. 

The deadline to apply is December 5th. 

The prize will be presented during the 2015 National Council for History Education (NCHE) Conference in St. Augustine, FL. 

For more information on the prize and how to apply, go to the link provided.

Call for Papers: The Craft Museum: Ideals and Practice

Proposals due December 5, 2014

Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC

Keynote: Sir Christopher Frayling, former Rector, Royal College of Art

Paper submissions from senior and emerging museum professionals, scholars, and educators are invited for this symposium, which will examine the role of the craft museum in modern culture. 

Coinciding with the renovation of the Renwick Gallery, the Smithsonian’s national craft museum, this program seeks a lively dialogue on craft’s institutional mission, and the execution of programming devoted to the collection, conservation, presentation, and study of craft. The issue of how to interpret the field of craft in a museum setting is increasingly urgent as the boundaries of its teaching, practice, reception, and the discipline’s very definition shift dramatically in the first quarter of the 21st century.

Potential topics include:

-        The museum as an engine of craft research and scholarship

-        Diversifying audiences for craft

-        Materiality and the digital museum

-        Viewing craft: new approaches to museum design

-        Evolving interpretations of skill

-        The conceptual turn in an aesthetic field

-        STEAM? Museums and craft education

-        Competing interpretations of craft in museums of art, anthropology, and archaeology

-        Museum citizenship, ethics, and the public trust

-        Interpretive and collection strategies for post-studio craft

-        The future of studio craft collections

-        The relationship between museums and the academy

-        Craft’s position within large institutions

-        The state of the dedicated craft institution

-        The history of craft museology

Please submit a 300-word abstract and short CV to Nicholas Bell, The Fleur and Charles Senior Curator of American Craft and Decorative Art, and Nora Atkinson, The Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft, at CraftSymposium@si.edu. 

Proposals are due by December 5, 2014. Applicants will be notified of their status by January 2, 2015. The symposium will be webcast

Oahu Tournament of Hawaii History Bee & Bowl 2014

On November 29 the Oahu tournaments of the Hawaii History Bee & Bowl were held at Iolani School in Honolulu. 

In addition, the U.S. Geography Olympiad was also held.

History Education Hawaii, Inc., extends its thanks to John Bickel and Iolani School for hosting the event. We are also delighted that David Madden -founder of the National History Bee & Bowl as well as the U.S. Geography Olympiad. 

Students and organizers alike enjoy the various competitions. Teams and individual students from Iolani School, Punahou School and Pearl City High School participated. 

The Junior Varsity Division of the Oahu History Bowl was won by Iolani School Team D, followed by Iolani Team F.

The Hawaii History Bee champion was Darwin Peng of Iolani School, followed as runner-up by James Jenkins, also of Iolani School. 

The national championship qualifiers of the U.S. History Bee were:

1) Brendan Clerenger of Pearl City High School.
2) Darwin Peng of Iolani School.
3) David Pang of Iolani School.
4) Ryan McMichael of Punahou School.

Winners of the U.S. Geography Olympiad were:

1) Ryan McMichael of Punahou School.
2) Kento Tanaka of Iolani School.
3) Michael Kiang of Punahou School.
4-tied) Darwin Peng and Arjun Srirangarajan, both of Iolani School. 

Our congratulations to all participant and winners!