(Photo courtesy: West Virginia Department of Education)
CHARLESTON, VA (WBOY) — The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) hosted more than 470 students for its state social studies fair on Friday, according to a statement from WVDE.
According to WVDE, “The West Virginia Social Studies Fair is designed to recognize and reward the outstanding achievement of social studies students and encourage students to enhance their research and communication skills, critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, interpersonal development, and self-direction.”
The fair was hosted at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center with students in grades 3-12 from all over the state competing in various categories. The competing projects consisted of winners who had already won their respective Schools, Districts and Territories. All projects were judged on the basis of oral presentation, topic, research, presentation and abstract.
The categories for this year’s event were as follows:
- anthropologist
- economics
- geography
- Political Science
- psychology
- Sociology
- State and local studies
- History of the United States
- world history
“It is rewarding to see the response to this year’s Social Studies fair with over 300 entries and 470 students,” said State Superintendent of Schools David L. roach. This level of engagement represents the enthusiasm and value that students, educators, and families find in the fair. This is an example of experiential learning that students will remember for the rest of their lives.”
WVDE said that this year the fair hosted the largest number of entries than any other year in recent memory. The show first took off in 1977 in Huntington with help from Marshall University and a group of West Virginia social studies teachers. The event was later moved to Charleston, where it has remained ever since.
For more information on this year’s fair including official results, click here here.