FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
January 9, 2014
Micah Azzano
[email protected] ∙ 703.508.7808
Local Student Selected to Walk in the Footsteps of the Fallen on D-Day
WASHINGTON, D.C. – National History Day (NHD) announces this week the 15 students selected from an
international application process to immerse themselves in the history of the Normandy Invasion, and
remember the soldiers who gave their lives. Local student Margaret Lichtenfels and her teacher Patrick
Slowey are one of the student and teacher groups selected to be part of the 2014 Albert H. Small
Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom Student and Teacher Institute.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day. On the anniversary of this crucial turning point in World
War II, students and their teachers will walk together in the footsteps of history on the beaches of
Normandy. From the lessons learned during the institute, students will make presentations that bring to
life the significance of the Normandy Campaign and participate in a day of remembrance. Each student
will give a eulogy to an individual soldier, sailor, or marine from their city, county, or state who made the
ultimate sacrifice.
Dr. Cathy Gorn, Executive Director of NHD, discussed the impact this program has on participants, “The
students and teachers who have worked with NHD can attest to the powerful impression this program
has on them. It not only teaches them about the past, but helps place current and future events into
context. This program brings to life the importance of quality history education, and shows reverence
and respect to those who gave their lives for their country. These students will emerge from this
program with a greater understanding of the events and people who shaped their lives, and the world as
they know it today.”
Lichtenfels and Slowey will travel in June to Washington, D.C. where they will meet with the selected
participants from other states for five days of lectures and memorial visits. After their time in D.C.
students and teachers will travel with NHD staff to Normandy. Prior to the institute students are
required to complete selected readings, review interviews with WWII veterans, engage in online
discussions with the other participants, and research a local silent hero who is laid to rest in the
American Cemetery at Normandy. Students will present their selected service member’s eulogy and
present on their role in the invasion during a remembrance ceremony at the end of the institute.
For a complete list of students and their teachers please contact Micah Azzano at [email protected].
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NHD is a non-profit education organization based out of College Park, MD. Established in 1974, NHD
offers year-long academic programs that engage over half a million primary and secondary students
around the world in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. These research-based
projects are entered into local affiliate contests, where the top student projects have the opportunity to
advance to the national competition at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD also seeks to
improve the quality of history education by providing professional development opportunities for
educators. NHD is sponsored in part by the History Channel, Kenneth E. Behring, Weider History Group,
Inc., WEM Foundation, and Southwest Airlines. For more information about NHD, visit www.nhd.org.
Albert H. Small funds the Albert H. Small Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom Student and Teacher Institute.
His contributions make it possible for the student and teacher participants to have this experience. In
addition to his work with NHD, Small also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Symphony
Orchestra, National Advisory Board Music Associates of Aspen, Department of State Diplomatic Rooms
Endowment Fund, James Madison Council of the Library of Congress, Tudor Place Foundation, The Life
Guard of Mount Vernon, Historical Society of Washington, D.C., and the National Archives Foundation.