CT History Day (CHD) is one of 58 affiliate programs of the renowned National History Day (NHD) program. CHD helps students in grades 6-12 explore local, state, national, and world history by encouraging them to use libraries, archives, museums, and oral history to conduct extensive research into historical topics of their own choice. It teaches students how to analyze and interpret their findings, draw conclusions about their topics’ significance in history; and create final projects that demonstrate their work. Every year, CTDC runs six Regional Contests where students enter their work in competitions. Regional winners advance to the State Contest, and then on to the National History Day Contest in Maryland. The program prepares students to lead active civic lives by engaging them in the world and teaching them important civic skills such as critical thinking, communication, media literacy, research, leadership, and teamwork. Over 5,000 students annually participate in CHD. In 2012, NHD was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama. This funding supports the 2021 program.