WASHINGTON, D.C.— National History Day® is now accepting applications for the 2018 Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom® Albert H. Small Student and Teacher Institute. This highly competitive international program accepts only 15 student and teacher pairs for an immersive experience of learning in Washington, D.C. and Normandy, France. Through the generous support of Mr. Albert H. Small this prestigious program covers nearly all expenses for accepted students and teachers including international travel, visits to historic sites, and lodging in both Europe and Washington, D.C. There is no cost to apply.
The Normandy Sacrifice for Freedom®: Albert H. Small Student and Teacher Institute teaches students about heroic sacrifices made by U.S. service members during and after the D-Day landings. Upon acceptance to the program, each student selects one service member, called a Silent Hero®, from his or her home state who died in the line of duty and is buried or memorialized at the Normandy American Cemetery.
After months of research, students and teachers will travel to delve further into the history and sacrifice of WWII. Their first event is a welcome dinner where they meet the other teams from around the country. Then, volunteers and archivists from the National Archives help students sift through WWII resources. Guest historians and speakers will present lectures and discussions about the importance of D-Day and Operation Overlord to the outcome of the war. Finally, teams journey to Normandy, France where they walk in the footsteps of history and see the magnitude of D-Day first-hand. On the final day, students read powerful graveside eulogies to their Silent Heroes at the Normandy American Cemetery.
Applications for this prestigious program are due by November 27, 2017, at 11:59 p.m. ET. All participants must apply as one team and must be available to travel June 16-28, 2018. Students must be either a sophomore or junior in high school as of fall 2017. All applications must be fully completed and submitted as a single PDF document. The application and more information can be found online at nhd.org/normandy.
About National History Day® (NHD): NHD is a non-profit education organization headquartered in College Park, MD. Established in 1974, NHD promotes an appreciation for historical research among middle and high school students through multiple annual programs. More than half a million students participate in the annual National History Day Contest. These research-based projects are entered into contests at the local and affiliate levels, where the top entries are invited to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD provides professional development opportunities and curriculum materials for educators of all levels. NHD is sponsored in part by HISTORY®, Jostens, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Park Service, Southwest Airlines, the Joe Weider Foundation, and the WEM 2000 Foundation of the Dorsey & Whitney Foundation. For more information, visit nhd.org.