May 4, 2019
Dear Education Supporter,
The student bearing this letter has been selected as a National Qualifier for the 2019 National History Day in Minnesota program and is seeking support to participate in the national contest. This event will take place from June 9 - 13 at the University of Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. We hope that you will be able to recognize their academic achievement with a contribution to help cover his or her travel expenses.
Advancing to the national contest is a significant achievement, with less than the top 1% of participants from Minnesota earning the opportunity to represent our state and share their scholarship with students from around the country.
National History Day is a nationally recognized academic enrichment program promoting the study of history in the schools. The program is modeled after science fair and encourages students to take a creative approach to studying history. Participating students develop research papers, exhibits, documentaries, performances, or websites based on a topic they select connected to an annual theme. The 2019 theme, “Triumph & Tragedy in History,” has encouraged students to explore many significant topics related to state, national, or world history.
In Minnesota, the National History Day program is a partnership of the Minnesota Historical Society and the University of Minnesota. Approximately 27,000 Minnesota students took part in the program this year. These numbers emphasize the academic achievement required of national qualifiers. This letter is part of our effort to assist students with their fundraising, as they only have six weeks between the state competition and the national contest. The total cost of traveling to the national contest is approximately $1,000. This amount does not include personal expenses or the expenses of a chaperone.
I hope that you will be able to share in the enthusiasm and scholarship demonstrated by Minnesota’s National History Day students by assisting with travel expenses to Washington, D.C.
Thank you for your interest and support of Minnesota’s young historians!
Sincerely,
Sarah Aschbrenner
State Coordinator, National History Day in Minnesota
Minnesota Historical Society
(651) 259-3489, Sarah.Aschbrenner@mnhs.org
345 Kellogg Blvd W.
St. Paul, MN 55102