Read the March 2013 Newsletter.

Listen to WBEZ's Afternoon Shift as Rick Kogan interviews Frank Valadez, executive director of the Chicago Metro History Education Center, about CMHEC's on-going programs and the up-coming 35th Anniversary Awards Dinner.

Read Dawn Turner Trice's Chicago Tribune story about the Chicago History Fair and two students from Chicago Academy High School who are preparing a performance about Idlewild, an oasis for African Americans in the 1940's, for this year's competition.

In June, Megan Seibert qualified to participate in the National History Day competition. This made her eligible to enter the National World War II Museum's "Salute to Freedom" essay contest. Read about her winning essays and the opportunity she has to represent the state of Illinois at the grand opening of the museum's U.S. Freedom Pavillion this January.

Check out this video from the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the National World War II Museum's new U.S. Freedom Pavillion: The Boeing Center. Megan Seibert was chosen to represent the state of Illinois at the grand opening, and is featured in this video.

On December 4, 2012, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History presented Waukegan High School teacher, Joshua Bill, with the 2012 National History Teacher of the Year Award. This week the Chicago Tribune wrote an article, "Waukegan Teacher Breathes New Life Info History Lessons", about Mr. Bill's achievement and the success he has had teaching history in Waukegan, IL. Click here to read about the award and watch a video posted by the Gilder Lehrman Institute.

This year, Katie Lyons, a teacher at National Teachers Academy won the 2012 Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice, an annual award for the nation’s best teachers in high-poverty public schools. Ms. Lyons was one of five teachers to win the award. Click here to read her paper entitled “You Are Here: Inspiring Curiosity by Making Content Personal”, a reflection on how she implements History Fair in her classroom. The Fishman Prize is sponsored by TNTP, a national nonprofit committed to ending the injustice of educational inequality. Click here to learn more about the organization.

This last school year, Edwards Elementary teacher Dolly Tovar led two student projects to complete in the National History Day contest in College Park, Maryland. Read this article from the Chicago Public Schools Spotlight.

Listen to "The Black Chicago Renaissance's Stamp on American History", a WBEZ story in which Erik Gellman, Lionel Kimble, Davarian Baldwin and Heather Ireland Robinson speak about their work with the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Landmarks of American History and Culture program, “Renaissance in Black Metropolis: Chicago, 1930-1950", which took place here in Chicago this last month.

Listen to History Fair students Chakena Sims and Nathaniel Scholl, along with CMHEC executive director Frank Valadez, discuss History Fair with Rick Kogan on WGN's radio show, "The Sunday Papers" (May 20, 2012).

Read about Waukegan high school teacher Joshua Bill, winner of the 2012 Olive Foster Outstanding Teacher Award from the Illinois State Historical Society, and his work with history students at Waukegan High School (Lake County News-Sun, May 18, 2012).

 

 

Read about Nia's journey to NHD in an article by the University of Chicago's Urban Education Institute "Carter G. Woodson Campus 7th Grader Studies History, Makes History".