Category: Maryland History Day

Two photos next to each other in one. The first (on the left) is of Stephanie Gomer, a white woman with dark curly hair worn down and glasses. She wears a gray t-shirt with a "P" on it, showing a falcon mascot, the mascot for Poolesville High School where she teaches. The second is of Erin Spahr, a blonde/dirty blonde-haired white woman wearing her hair down. She smiles and wears a long blue t-shirt. She is in in a classroom and on the wall is a bulletin board that says "American Studies 1."
Problem-Solving & Finding Human Connection Through History Day
Erin Spahr, Social Studies Teacher at Urbana Middle School and Stephanie Gomer, English Teacher at Poolesville High School, were named this year’s Maryland History Day Statewide Middle and High School Teacher of the Year, respectively. The teachers discuss the impact of Maryland History Day program on students.
April 16, 2024
Two combined images. First image, on the left, taking up about 4/5 the total picture: Image that's collage a with text in the middle that says "Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources." The collage is of various photographs of students with each other or with teachers. The second image, on the right: a photo of Lia Atanat, a white woman in her thirties. . She has brown hair a little past the shoulders and wears a cream-colored button- down blouse.
Supporting Educators in Teaching Indigenous History
We spoke with Lia Atanat, our Maryland History Day Outreach & Professional Development Coordinator, about our new collaboration with tribal consultants and teachers in creating inquiry kits about the Indigenous history and culture of the land now known as Maryland.
August 31, 2023
Two young Black teens and one white teen in the State House in Annapolis. One Black teen wears a black-and-white houndstooth jacket, the other a red blazer and slacks and the white girl wears a dress and cardigan.
From Accokeek to Annapolis: Behind the Scenes with National History Day Gold Medalists
Lillian Merrill, Saniya Pearson, and Aliyah Smith placed second at the 2022 Maryland History Day State Contest. They advanced to National History Day, where they won the Gold Medal in their category. In 2023, along with other national honorees, they visited the State House. We spoke with them about their experience.
May 2, 2023
2 combined photos. The one on the left is Denise Kresslein, a white woman with straight (or straightened) brown hair and brown eyes. She wears a turquoise blouse. On the right is Thomas Stavely, a white man with glasses and brown hair. He wears a yellow polo.
Making History Personal
Denise Kresslein, Advanced Academics Teacher at North Carroll Middle School and Westminster East Middle School and Thomas Stavely of  Parkdale High School were named this year’s Maryland History Day Statewide Middle and High School Teacher of the Year, respectively. The teachers discuss the impact of Maryland History Day program on students.
April 18, 2023
A photo of a white balding man with white hair. He has a full beard. He is outside and wears a light yellow button down under a brown jacket.
The Importance of Studying History at All Levels: A Conversation with Labor Historian Bill Barry
With a group, Labor Historian Bill Barry sponsors our Maryland History Day Special Prizes Awarded for Excellence in Labor History (Junior and Senior Divisions). We spoke to Barry about the Maryland History Day's impact.
May 3, 2022
A collage of 2 photos, both of white men who are smiling. On the left is Devin Page, who has gray and curly hair and blue eyes. He wears a blue and green plaid shirt that is short-sleeved. He sits with his hand on his hip and sits in front of what look like bins of school supplies. On the right is Michael Yuscavage who has brown hair and full beard that goes several inches past his chin. He wears a gray button-down shirt and patterned tie. Michael sits in front of a darker gray photography backdrop.
Creating Student Historians: Award-Winning Teachers on Instilling a Love of Research
Devin Page of Northern Middle School and Michael Yuscavage of of Arundel High School were named this year’s Maryland History Day Statewide Middle and High School Teacher of the Year, respectively. The teachers discuss the impact of Maryland History Day program on students.
April 21, 2022
Headshot of Lia Atanat, a white bruette woman with shoulder-length hair and glasses. She wears a green turtleneck . She sits in an office on a black couch in front of a yellow wall with black-and-white photographs.
Maryland History Day for English Learners: An Interview with Lia Atanat
Last fall, the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program awarded us $82,188 to support a Maryland History Day for English Learners Curriculum, featuring a collection of lesson plans and worksheets. We’re in the creation stage of this project, and we recently spoke about it with Lia Atanat, our Maryland History Day Outreach & Professional Development Coordinator.
March 31, 2022
A combined photo of two photos. On the left, stands a white woman with dirty blonde hair in a long-sleeved pale pink shirt. On the right, is a Black man with glasses and a blue polo shirt in front of a blue wall.
Award-Winning Teachers Talk The Value of Maryland History Day
Kenneth Childs III of Hazelwood Elementary/Middle School and Lynn Rashid of Marriotts Ridge High School were named this year's Maryland History Day Middle and High School Teacher of the Year, respectively. Maryland History Day  also nominates these teachers for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award, facilitated by National History Day: results will be announced at the awards ceremony is this weekend.  Childs and Rashid discuss the Maryland History Day program.
June 17, 2021
Maryland History Day: A Teacher’s View
Sarah Mason teaches at Bennett Middle School in Wicomico County: this year, she was honored as our nominee for National History Day's Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award. Our Maryland History Day program is an affiliate of National History Day: each of the 58 National History Day affiliates may nominate one middle school teacher for the Behring Award. Mason writes about her experience as a Maryland History Day teacher and the opportunities provided to her students.
April 27, 2020
Meet the New Program Officer at Maryland Humanities!
Chris Stewart will begin as our Program Officer for Maryland History Day, Chautauqua, and the Veterans Oral History Project. Learn about our new team member.
March 11, 2019