Students from Across the Country to Honor Normandy Veterans

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tomorrow fifteen high school students from across the country will travel to Washington, D.C. to kick off a program called Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom, and honor a D-Day veteran from each of their home states who fought and died during the invasion at Normandy during World War II.

For these students and their teachers, this trip marks the culmination of an intensive program offered by National History Day called the Albert H. Small Student and Teacher Institute. The program is dedicated to preserving the events of the Normandy invasion and ensuring that future generations have an understanding of the individuals who served in that war and the significance of their sacrifice.  

Media interest for preview interviews, photos and on-site coverage opportunities, please contact: Mariam Ali at 202-777-3847 or [email protected].

Schedule of Events (Open to media): 

Saturday, June 18
6:00 - 8:00 p.m. – Dinner at Fort McNair featuring a keynote address from Mortimer Caplin Esq., Washington, D.C.

Organizers and speakers:
Cathy Gorn, executive director, National History Day
Albert H. Small, sponsor of the Albert H Small Student/Teacher Institute and president of Southern Engineering Corporation
Mortimer Caplin, Esq., served as a U.S. Navy Beachmaster on Omaha Beach on D-Day.

Monday, June 20
3:00– 4:30 p.m. – Wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.

About National History Day

National History Day (NHD) is a year-long academic organization for elementary and secondary school students. Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of teachers nationwide participate in the NHD contest. Students choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive primary and secondary research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews and historic sites. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics' significance in history, students present their work in original papers, websites, exhibits, performances and documentaries. These products are entered into competitions in the spring, at local, state and national levels where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. The program culminates in a national competition each June held at the University of Maryland at College Park. Visit www.nhd.org.

SOURCE National History Day