History Fair Projects are meant to introduce children to long-term studies. Each student (lower elementary though middle school) chooses a topic—something the child really wants to know more about. Over the years this has been everything from the History of the Salt Mines in Detroit to Witchcraft (to mention just a few). Project are broken down into steps: choose a topic, gather resources, begin reading, develop a thesis statement (something you want to prove), do more research, create notecards, write an outline (from those notecards), start writing, revise, complete your bibliography, and then—create a visual display.

History Fair Projects are both an opportunity to engage students in the learning process and a chance to celebrate those who came before us. When we present our projects to our community the Monday before Thanksgiving, it’s one way of thanking those who came before us for for their amazing contributions to the world as we know it.  Twelve students from upper elementary and middle are selected as Top Finalists, and present their projects to a panel of judges on Tuesday afternoon, as well as all their fellow students. All projects are displayed proudly throughout the halls of our school, and students and families spend time viewing and discussing them.

Winners are announced on Wednesday morning, and all students take their completed projects home on Wednesday.