Chicago Metro History Day

06/02/2026

Congratulations to Chicago Metro History Day teacher Eric Haak of Richards Elementary! Mr. Haak was recently named a nominee for the National History Day Teacher of the Year Award. At the Chicago Metro History Day Awards Ceremony on March 16, Mr. Haak won the Arthur Anderson Memorial Award for Exemplary Teaching - Junior Division. 🎉

05/07/2026

Educators, put on your student hats this summer and learn how to teach historical argumentation skills!

Sponsored by the Library of Congress, NHD’s latest webinar, Using Library of Congress Resources to Build a Historical Argument, will support educators as they build key strategies for researching, supporting, and presenting historical arguments. Running from July 27 through November 20, 2026, educators will learn alongside top historians and use primary sources from the Library of Congress to better understand and teach historical argumentation.

Apply by June 12, 2026, to be considered for this learning experience! Learn more and apply at https://nhd.org/.../23/historical-argumentation-apply-now/.

05/04/2026

NHD research alert for the music fans out there!

Starting in 1984, Aadam Jacobs began recording live tapes of thousands of indie, punk and rock shows, capturing everyone from from R.E.M. at the UIC Pavilion in 1986 to Depeche Mode at Aragon in 1985 to Nirvana at the Metro in 1989.

Lately, interest in Jacobs' project is soaring as music fans access the recordings online: "There have been so many who have told me, 'I’m so glad this exists.'"

05/04/2026

Good luck to CMHD’s Junior Division students at Illinois State History Day! May the Fourth be with you!

04/30/2026

Attention teachers: Participate in NHD teacher Michael Biondo's research study for his doctoral dissertation!

Open to all NHD teachers, the study examines history teachers' beliefs about history and the core teaching practices that they endorse.

The survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and participants have the chance to win one of four $25 Amazon gift cards.

Survey link: https://cuchicago.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_40FSsr6oI98RB9s

Questions? Email Mr. Biondo at [email protected]

04/30/2026

Our partners at the Chicago Collections Consortium have asked us to let you know that they have extended their deadline for the 2026 Making History Come Alive Poetry Competition. Chicagoland students ages 13-19 are eligible. Cash prizes are offered.

2026 Making History Come Alive Through Words Poetry Competition
Making History Come Alive Through Words
Deadline EXTENDED: Sunday, May 3, 11:59 p.m. CDT
Are you inspired by your city or your neighborhood?
Are you creative with words?
Are you excited by history?
Do you enjoy the power of written and spoken words?
Excite your curiosity and creativity by browsing EXPLORE CHICAGO COLLECTIONS — an online portal of images and information about the history and culture of the Chicagoland area — and writing a poem inspired by what you find.

From architectural firms to social justice organizations, performing arts troupes to zoos, and from artists, activists, and immigrants, to entrepreneurs, politicians, and sports figures, EXPLORE CHICAGO COLLECTIONS captures the people, places, institutions, and events that have made the Chicago area the great global metropolis that it is today.

Chicago Collections Consortium, in partnership with the Poetry Foundation and the Chicago Public Library Harold Washington Library Center, is proud to be hosting the 2026 poetry competition for high school students in grades 9 - 12 located in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. We invite you to be a part of this exciting opportunity!

Come to EXPLORE — Leave Inspired!
Get Started
First, identify a topic that inspires you about the Chicago area (ex. your neighborhood, buildings, lakefront, people, etc.) by browsing the EXPLORE CHICAGO COLLECTIONS portal.
Search the EXPLORE portal for additional content to help flesh out your poem.
Put into words what you find and what has excited you about your topic
Submission Guidelines
Who: Open to Chicagoland high school students between the ages of 13 to 19 who live in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.

What: One poem per student inspired by or illustrated by content found on the CCC’s EXPLORE CHICAGO COLLECTIONS. All entries MUST be the original work of the student submitting the poem and include a link from CCC's EXPLORE CHICAGO COLLECTIONS portal showing an image or source that supports or inspired your poem.

Evaluation process: Submissions will be judged by a panel of representatives of the Poetry Foundation, the Chicago Collections Consortium, and poet educators. Evaluation will be based on originality and connection to content in the portal. All judges’ decisions are final.

Award recipients will be notified in May 2026.

When: An awards ceremony honoring winning poets will occur in late spring. More details to come!

Awards: Five (5) poems will be recognized with an award of $100.00 each.

Submission Form
All entries to the 2026 EXPLORE Chicago Collections Consortium Poetry Award contest must be submitted by Sunday, May 3, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CDT
Limit one original poem per student. Poems have a limit of 50 lines. Blank lines between stanzas are not counted.
Poems must be submitted as a pdf or Word document.
Identifying information such as name, grade level, and age should not appear on the poem itself.
All entries must be the original work of the young person submitting the poem. Chicago Collections Consortium has a no-tolerance policy for plagiarism.

https://www.chicagocollections.org/news-events/news/2026-making-history-come-alive-through-words-poetry-competition

04/28/2026

Celebrating with our James Petrillo historians on yesterday's award for labor history from the Illinois Labor History Society at Illinois State History Day!

Congratulations to our winners in the senior category at today's statewide History Fair in Springfield. The two projects awarded were "Home of the Hispanic Immigrants: The Migration Revolution" by students at Cobden High School, who interviewed older farmworkers and created a display, and "It's all Because of Jim: James Petrillo's Legacy of Labor Reform," a documentary about the 1942-1944 American Federation of Musicians strike to win royalties for performers, by students from Payton College Prep, Jones College Prep and Northside College Prep in Chicago. Impressive projects!

04/16/2026

Thank you to the Niles North History Department for this award recognizing Chicago Metro History Day from the Niles Township Federation of Teachers and Support Staff. NTFTSS highlighted the contributions of CMHD’s valuable judges and staff who helped grow the program and strengthen History Day students’ learning and civic experiences, especially during the rebuilding period following Covid. Over these past few years, Niles North participation has grown to include the classrooms of seven history teachers and 300 students. Congratulations to all teachers who are building their History Day programs at the ground level, and special shout-out to Pankaj Sharma for his efforts leading the program at Niles North! Niles North High School Chicago History Museum Niles Township High School District 219

03/03/2026

📅Check Your Calendar!!📅

What are you doing from 1-6pm on Saturday, March 7th?

Chicago Metro History Day is looking for additional exhibit and website judges for our Junior Division Contest! Training and refreshments are provided.

To register, please visit il-chimetro.nhd.org then click on "Create Account" then "Judge."

03/03/2026

NHD is excited to announce that the 2027 National History Day theme is "Innovation in History: Impact, Influence, Change." Stay tuned for theme resources coming soon!