Dear Philadelphia Friend of National History Day

National Archives and Records Administration

MID ATLANTIC REGION
900 MARKET STREET
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 19107-4292
www.archives.gov/midatlantic

Dear Philadelphia Friend of National History Day:

I am writing on behalf of the National History Day collaborative to seek your help in supporting some outstanding students and teachers in our public schools, who have just distinguished our City by winning placement in a prestigious national competition, National History Day.

Our local students and teachers are advancing to the National History Day Finals in Washington as a significant part of Pennsylvania’s delegation!! A Constitution HS teacher, Marc Brasof, will be one of 50 teachers from across the country, competing for a $10,000 national teaching prize created by philanthropist Kenneth E. Behring. Our students from Masterman and Constitution High Schools will be competing with students from the 50 states, our territories, and American schools in Europe for an array of extraordinary prizes, including a $10,000 prize from the History Channel and 4-year college scholarships.

All of this would not have been possible without the support of over 40 Philadelphia history institutions and community partners, who joined together six years ago to bring the prestigious National History day program back to Philadelphia after a 20 year absence. Over the six years, we have built a unique and exceptional urban-based program that served over 1,000 students this past year. In 2008 our work was recognized for its innovation by the History Channel and we now have other large urban cities reaching out to create similar National History Day programs.

Your financial help will enable our winning delegation get to the NHD National Finals in Washington in June. By embracing these students and teachers you will show pride in their accomplishments and give them a great send off for the national finals. You will also affirm that Philadelphia is a great city with relevance to young people and their families and that our history and institutions are important in our national heritage. Please take a few moments to read more details about why this is important.

Why this is important?

1. 1. The students and teachers are representing both the Commonwealth and the City of Philadelphia.
2. 2. Their work and accomplishments demonstrate that our local public schools can and are helping students learn and accomplish at the highest standards.
3. 3. Our students researched African American topics that are local to Philadelphia! At nationals, they will be showcasing the importance of this history to our nation. (The big NHD questions for kids are: “Why is this important?” Why should people care about this?”)
4. 4. The School District’s core African American curriculum is a significant and important course of study for all students. Our students’ accomplishments in the NHD program validates that it is real history, meeting the rigors of a prestigious national program requiring research, analytical thinking and presentation.
5. 5. The history institutions and professionals in our region can and are providing important supports to our schools and students, enabling them to use our world-class archives, libraries and historic sites to conduct serious research and gain life-long skills in critical thinking and analysis.
6. 6. Our students are also embracing our City and are developing strong attachments to its extraordinary cultural resources. (We had over 120 volunteers make our Philadelphia regional competition happen this year at the National Constitution Center. Additionally, several of our professionals went into the schools to help students, advancing to the PA finals, think through how to improve their projects for the next round.)

As the steward of our nation’s documentary record, the National Archives is honored to be a part of an exceptional community and provide leadership for Philadelphia’s National History Day program. Please join and help celebrate this extraordinary achievement by our schools, the teachers, students and cultural community.

Gifts* should be directed to:

NHD Student Project Fund — National Archives Gift Fund
National Archives
900 Market Street
Philadelphia, Pa. 19107

Sincerely,

V. Chapman-Smith
National Archives Mid Atlantic Regional Administrator
National History Day Philadelphia Regional Coordinator

*Gifts to this project are fully tax-deductible under U. S. Congress authorization for the National Archives Gift Fund to accept public and private contributions. The NHD Project account is a restricted account solely for the use of the NHD Philly! project. Donations are not subject to any administrative fees. The National Archives Mid Atlantic operation currently serves as the regional coordinator for NHD Philly!.