 Our new media center is here! Visitors will be greetd by our digital welcome mat, and can see themselves on U•TV, an interactive exhibit where you can explore the art and science of television production. You can also take a peek inside our new studios. more... |
|
Charlie Chaplin’s looking for his room assignment. A zoot suiter is warming up on his sax. Benjamin Franklin has just registered and is checking out the competition.
Lots of young people are in costume, but it’s not Halloween. It’s Ohio History Day, and more than 600 middle school and high school students from across the state are gathering at The Ohio State University to show what they’ve learned about the relationship between communication and history, the theme of the event.
History Day, a new WOSU television documentary, shows it’s a high-stakes day filled with anxious presenters, nervous parents, confident teachers, and many impressive displays of scholarship and drama.
History Day aired at 6 p.m., April 9.
“History Day is most easily thought of as a science fair for history,” explains Sara Bendure, special project administrator for the Ohio Historical Society. Students present exhibits, documentaries, papers, and dramatic presentations about the topic. “We sponsor it because it’s a wonderful way to get students engaged in history, and it introduces them to the field of history and what historians do.”
Despite trouble with the wiring on his exhibit about the development of telegraphy, Steven Aviram, a student from Cleveland, is optimistic after his visit with judges peering over their glasses and writing on clipboards. “I’m pretty happy. The judges seemed to like it a lot. It’s fun to tell everyone what you’ve learned during your project.”
The judges will be looking at hundreds of exhibits on a variety of subjects, including China’s Forbidden City, civil rights sit-ins, Holocaust diaries, the Underground Railroad, and how Vietnam POWs secretly communicated with one another.
The documentary shows there’s also excitement and energy downstairs where dozens of young performers await their turn to portray such diverse figures as temperance activist Carry A. Nation, a Navajo code talker, Rosie the Riveter, a jazz musician, and Bella Abzug. Michael Bohl of Shaker Heights apparently likes his wig and brocade coat—he’ll wear the costume all day, even at the awards ceremony.
“I got interested in Benjamin Franklin because it was suggested by my teacher. But then I started looking at books that called him ‘the first true American’ and things like that. And I looked into his book and it was a rather humorous book and I just thought it fit my personality.”
The WOSU documentary shows that for these students, history is more than something you read about in a textbook. It’s a noisy, vibrant, hands-on exercise that could end with an award and a trip to represent Ohio at the prestigious National History Day in Maryland.
“Students spend so much time working on key aspects of their entries that it’s really inspiring,” says Bendure. “It’s awe inspiring that they’ve found something they’re so passionate about.”
|
|
  Join Ramble hosts Rich Baker, Chet DeLong, Chris Johnston, and Steve Brechter for one of the best--and longest running--bluegrass radio shows in the country! The Lonesome River Band, The Country Gentlemen, Blue Highway, Bill Monroe, IIIrd Tyme Out, The Stanley Brothers, Del McCoury, The Osborne Brothers, Alison Krauss, Tony Rice, The Seldom Scene, The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Reno and Smiley, Flatt and Scruggs, The Boys From Indiana, and The Dillards are only a fraction of the outstanding artists you'll experience when you tune in to Bluegrass Ramble. more...  WOSU 89.7 presents a live broadcast of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra from the Ohio Theatre in downtown Columbus. Saturday, April 14 at 8 pm. Guest conductor William Eddins. Percussionist Colin Currie makes his CSO performance debut in Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto. The CSO also presents Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. Christopher Purdy hosts this live broadcast. more... |
