Press

Over 100 Capital Region students will compete in the annual Capital Region History Day competition at the New York State Museum on Saturday, March 23. The public is invited to view the students' public exhibitions of their contest submissions from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. as well as the awards ceremony from 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. Don Wildman, host of the Travel Channel’s “Mysteries at the Museum”, will distribute awards to the winners.

The New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education is the regional coordinator for the Capital Region contest of the National History Day competition. Students in grades 6-12, working individually or in groups, conduct research and present their findings in one of the five following formats: exhibit, documentary, paper, website or theatrical performance. The national theme for this year’s competition is “Triumph and Tragedy”. Students’ exhibitions will be on display on the Museum’s 4^th floor for the public to view from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the State Museum’s Clark Auditorium from 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. State Museum representatives, State Historian Devin Lander, and host of the Travel Channel’s “Mysteries at the Museum” Don Wildman will distribute awards to the top two winners in each category. An additional winner will receive the New York State Archives Partnership Trust Award and a one-year subscription to New York Archives magazine for best use of historical records. The top two winners in each category proceed to the state competition in Cooperstown, NY on April 29. Winners of the state competition have the opportunity to move on to the national level competition at the University of Maryland in June.

Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of teachers and parents nationwide, participate in the National History Day program. The program makes history come alive for America's youth by engaging them in the discovery of the historic, cultural and social experiences of the past.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

The State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education (OCE), housed in the Cultural Education Center, operates three major institutions with stewardship responsibilities for collections — the New York State Museum, State Library, and State Archives — and the Office of Educational Television and Public Broadcasting and the Summer School of the Arts. Further information about OCE programs and events can be obtained by visiting the OCE website.