Nearly 450 students, advisers and parents from across Johnston County and the state gathered at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh for the 2018 Tar Heel Junior Historian Association (THJHA) Annual Convention. The all-day event featured dynamic learning experiences that help young people appreciate and understand North Carolina’s rich history.
At the convention students participated in engaging workshops based on Tar Heel Junior Historian magazine topics from the past 2017-2018 school year including Blackbeard, underwater archeology, and the history of North Carolina clothing. Students also had the opportunity to explore museum exhibits. The Museum of History and the Museum of History Associates co-sponsored the statewide convention.
The Awards Ceremony, an annual highlight, recognized junior historians for outstanding projects submitted in THJHA contests. The projects encourage students to research the historical significance of people, places and events in their own communities.
All winning projects are showcased for a year in the exhibit History in Every Direction: Tar Heel Junior Historian Association Discovery Gallery, featuring fun and informative hands-on history activities.
“We had a lot of great clubs attend the event this year, with groups from as far away as Asheville and Morehead City,” said Jessica Pratt, THJHA program coordinator. “The student projects covered a variety of North Carolina history topics, and I was once again blown away by their work.”
Johnston County Winners
The Homeschoolers Unfolding History club, sponsored by the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield, won first place in the Exhibit/Art Contest (secondary division), as well as second place in the Video DocumentaryContests (intermediate division). The group also received a History in Action Award for their The Life and Works of Local Pilot Warren Wheeler entry.
Seth Young and David Young won first and second places, respectively, in the Christopher Crittenden State History Quiz in the secondary division.
The Homeschoolers Unfolding North Carolina History club, also sponsored by the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield, won second place in the Literary Contest.
Photos courtesy North Carolina Museum of History
About the Tar Heel Junior Historian Association
There are more than 8,000 Tar Heel Junior Historians in 60 counties across North Carolina. Any group of students in grades 4 to 12 with an adult adviser can form a Tar Heel Junior Historian club and join the association at no charge.
About the NC Museum of History, a Smithsonian Affiliate
The NC Museum of History is located at 5. E. Edenton Street in downtown Raleigh. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The museum collects and preserves artifacts of North Carolina history and educates the public on the history of the state and the nation through exhibits and educational programs. Each year more than 400,000 people visit the museum to see some of the 150,000 artifacts in the museum collection. The Museum of History, within the Division of State History Museums, is part of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
For information about the NC Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org.
About the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR’s mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.
NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette’s Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the NC Zoo, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the NC Arts Council, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please call 919-807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.
