After three Park students made it to the national level of the competition last year, new students begin to prepare for this year’s History Day.

History Day is an extensive research project where students pick any topic they would like to pursue in history, as long as it relates to the theme. This year, the theme is “legacy and leadership in history.”

Carley Kregness, department chair for social studies and world history teacher, said History Day is a fantastic project because it allows students to research in a topic that interests them.

“It gives kids a choice about what they create in the final product, but it requires them to learn true skills of historical research,” Kregness said.

According to Kregness, no matter what topics students choose or the way they create their projects, students will learn what it means to be a historian.

“It really engages them,” Kregness said. “But more than most projects, it really teaches them what it means to be a historian.”

In addition to learning historian skills, Kregness said there are additional benefits in having students participate in History Day.

“It gives them a project where they have to revise, repeat and recreate a final product that is polished and that they are proud of,” Kregness said. “It teaches them to organize their time and it teaches them great research skills.”

History Day is not limited to world history students. AP European history students also participate in History Day.

Jeff Cohen, AP European history teacher,  said he enjoys having his students participate in History Day because it allows students to find a love for at least a portion of history.

“Unlike most of the year, this [project] gives students the opportunity to not only really dig deep into a particular topic, but to ideally do that in a topic they are very interested in,” Cohen said.

Cohen said most students actually end up enjoying the project.

“I get that first gasp when I introduce it and when I first start talking about it, but by the end they have taken ownership and do really seem to enjoy it,” Cohen said.

Sophomore Anya Lindell Paulson said she enjoys being involved in History Day. She said she believes her topic of Emmeline Pankhurst, a British suffragette, will help her in the AP European history class.

“For me, since I am actually doing someone from Europe, I will already know about the topic when we learn about it in class,” Lindell Paulson said.

Although Lindell Paulson has just started her project, she said History Day’s benefits will help her learn valuable history skills and life skills.

“The project provides you the ability to be able to research, to research well, to work well efficiently and to work well in groups,” Lindell Paulson said. “It might inspire some people to learn more about history and maybe figure out that is what they want to do with their life.”

The school History Day competition will be Dec. 16. Depending on how students do in the schoolwide competition, they can advance to regionals, state and eventually nationals.