District-Wide Contests and Events

Spelling Bee
MLK Speech Contest
National History Day

Spelling Bee

For the last few decades, a Spelling Bee has been sponsored in Davis County by local businesses, such as the Davis County Clipper, and run by volunteers from the Rotary Club. They originally followed the National Scripps Spelling Bee Program where the lists were provided by Scripps and the winner received a trip to Washington, DC to participate in the National Bee. That only provided a prize for one person and the student would usually be eliminated in the written round and never make it onto the stage for the actual Bee. The decision was made to create our own local Program, where we created our own lists, could keep registration fees lower, and keep all the money collected to go straight to our top 3 spellers in the form of college scholarships. The Davis County Spelling Bee has grown to include up to 70 schools and has become a beloved and competitive event.

Scheduling venues for the Final and Semifinal Bees became more and more difficult, so in 2019 the decision was made to bring the Spelling Bee under the district umbrella, sponsored by the Humanities Director of the Teaching and Learning Department. Participation is optional for each of the Davis District Elementary and Junior High schools. Private and Charter schools are also welcome participants. 

Schools pay a $125 Registration fee to participate. A Word Study List is published in November. Schools decide how students qualify to participate in their schoolwide Bee held in January or February. They use the Study List words first, then additional Off-List words if needed. Each Elementary school sends their top 3 spellers to the North or South End Semifinal Bee held in March. The Final Bee, held in April, includes the Top 15 from each of the North and South End Bees and the top 3 spellers from each of the participating Junior High schools. Depending on registration collected, my529 scholarships are awarded:

  • 1st place – Up to a $2,500.00

  • 2nd place – Up to $1,500.00

  • 3rd place – Up to $1,000.00. 

Contest Calendar

Register by December 1, 2024. 

  • South-End Semifinal:  March 17, 2025 6:00 - 10:00 pm Viewmont High School Auditorium

  • North-End Semifinal:  March 24, 2025 6:00 - 10:00 pm Syracuse High School Auditorium

  • Final Spelling Bee:  April 21, 2025 6:00 - 10:00 pm Clearfield High School Auditorium

Spelling QR

Spell It – Tips and Tricks

Congratulations to our Davis School District Spelling Bee 2024 winners! 

Spelling Bee winners

MLK Speech Contest

This annual contest is sponsored by the Educational Equity and Federal Programs Department of Davis School District.

  • MLK Speech Contest Website

National History Day

National History Day®(NHD) is a non-profit education organization based in College Park, Maryland. NHD offers year-long academic programs that engage over half a million middle- and high-school students around the world annually in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Since 1974, NHD has continuously improved history education by providing professional development opportunities and curriculum materials for educators. The largest NHD program is the National History Day Contest that encourages more than half a million students around the world to conduct historical research on a topic of their choice. Students enter these projects at the local and affiliate levels, with top students advancing to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park.

National History Day Contest

NOTE: Some information on this page may be out of date. The 2022 contest information has not been loaded.

This year the Davis District History Day contest will be combining with the Weber Region History Day which will be held virtually. Teachers will need to begin the registration process on the Weber Regional NHD website. 

2021 Key Dates

  • Registration Deadline: February 14

  • Completed Projects Due: February 26, 10:00 pm

  • Judging Begins: March 5

  • Awards Announced: March 18

Registration & Submission Instructions:
Remember - teachers must register before their students.

  • NHD Utah Virtual 2021: How to Register, Format, and Upload Your Project

  • Students: Gather This Info Before You Register.pdf

Contact Tracey Saxey, contest coordinator, with any questions.
tsaxey@dsdmail.net  

History Day Information

Annual Theme - 2021 Communication in History: The Key to Understanding

Divisions and Categories

Primary Division
Grades 4-5

Junior Division
Grades 6-8 

Senior Division
Grades 9-12 

Rule Summaries
Use these summaries to guide you as you prepare your entry. More detailed descriptions of your specific rules can be found in the official NHD Contest Rule Book. The judging forms are used to evaluate the entries. Use them as a guideline for preparation of your history fair project.  See a quick summary of rule changes made this year.
All entries must follow certain general rules: General Rules Summary.

Historical Paper

Rules Summary

Judging Form

Exhibit

Rules Summary

Judging Form

Performance

Rules Summary

Judging Form

Website

Rules Summary

Judging Form

Documentary

Rules Summary

Judging Form

NHD Theme Book - (Theme description, ideas and Lesson plans)
Communication in History Theme Video - created to inspire students about the theme.
Theme Narrative
Theme Graphic Organizer - students use to map out components of project.

  • Utah Topic Ideas

  • NHD Rule Book

Research Resources in Utah 

Important Dates for 2021

History Day Registration 
Registration Steps:

  1. Teacher Registration: link will open January 1, 2021  
    This step must be completed before students can register and parents can complete the permission section. So please do this before the last day so your students have time to complete their part before registration is closed!

  2. Student Registration: link will open January 1, 2021

Judges Registration

CONTACT INFORMATION