The 2024 South Carolina History Day competition was held Saturday, April 27 in Sumter. Fifty-three students will advance to the National History Day Contest, which will take place June 9 – 13, 2024 in College Park, Maryland. SC Humanities supports South Carolina History Day with a Major Grant.
National History Day’s core program is a competition in which students in grades 6–12 choose a topic and dive deeply into the past by conducting extensive research in libraries, archives, and museums. They then present their conclusions and evidence through papers, exhibits, performances, documentaries, or websites, moving through a series of contest levels where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators.
In South Carolina, Coastal Carolina University is the official affiliate organization of National History Day and the home of South Carolina History Day. At the state competition on April 27, 191 students from all over South Carolina participated, sharing their research and conclusions on topics related to the 2024 theme “Turning Points in History.”
Some of the top award winners at the state competition included:
Ingle Teachers of the Year
Sarah Bell, Ten Oaks Middle School, Myrtle Beach
Adam Powley, Early College High School, Conway
Society of Mayflower Descendants Award (for best projects)
Junior Level: Evalyn Ragland, To Kill a Mockingbird (Exhibit): Ten Oaks Middle
Senior Level: Abella Grant, Zykirah Vereen-Simmons, Rosmery YacTisjoj, Brown vs. Board of Education (Group Exhibit): HCS Early College High; ** This project has been selected to represent South Carolina at the National Museum of American History during the National Contest.
Colonial Dames of South Carolina for Outstanding Entry in Colonial History
Junior Level: Joshua Baird, Thomas Cripe, Anthony Herndon, Conrad Sims: The Battle of Kings Mountain (Group Documentary): Academic Pathways Homeschool co-op
Senior Level: Samuel Cripe: Battle of Saratoga (Individual Documentary): Academic Pathways Homeschool Co-op
SC Humanities congratulates these teachers and students, and all of the students who are preparing to represent South Carolina at the National History Day competition. For more information about South Carolina History Day, visit: https://www.coastal.edu/history/southcarolinahistoryday/.
About National History Day® (NHD): NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, which seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. The National History Day Contest was established in 1974 and currently engages more than half a million students every year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. Projects compete first at the local and affiliate levels, where the top entries are invited to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD is sponsored in part by National Endowment for the Humanities, World Education Foundation, Patricia Behring Foundation, 400 Years of African American History Commission, History Channel, Pritzker Military Foundation, The Better Angels Society, National Park Service, Dr. Scholl Foundation, History NET, Doughboy Foundation, Tom Lauer, and Skehan Communications. For more information, visit nhd.org.
About Coastal Carolina University: Coastal Carolina University is a comprehensive, public liberal arts institution in Conway, South Carolina. More than 10,000 students from across the country and the world interact with a world-class faculty, and enjoy a nationally competitive NCAA I athletic program, an inspiring cultural calendar, and a tradition of community interaction that is fueled by more than 145 student clubs and organizations. The Department of History in the Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts is proud to support education and the amazing South Carolina History Day throughout the state.
About South Carolina Humanities: The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c)3 organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos, and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation and individual donors. The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
Image: A Junior Level Group Exhibit that is advancing to the National competition