ALPINE — Students from school districts across the region gathered to present projects to judges on Wednesday at the Big Bend Regional History Fair held at Sul Ross State University.
In total, 34 projects and 55 students attended from Alpine, Marathon, Marfa, Fort Davis, San Vicente and Valentine ISDs. The Big Bend Regional History Fair is part of the larger organizations, Texas History Day and National History Day.
Each year, students do a project, documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, website or elementary poster based on a National History Day theme. This year’s theme is “Rights and Responsibility in History.”
By participating in National History Day, students become writers, filmmakers, web designers, playwrights and exhibit developers as they create unique contemporary expressions of history.
Caroline Fox, director of Curriculum & Special Programs at Alpine ISD, has been the regional coordinator since 2001 and said there has been a significant decrease in participation since 2020. In response, the state has added fourth- and fifth-grade competitions to help recruit and rebuild programs all over the state. This year, 14 fourth- and fifth-graders competed.
Fox said she would like to thank the Brewster County Historical Commission, the Bechtel Foundation and Sul Ross State University for funding, aiding and supporting the Big Bend Regional History Fair.