Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site hosts ‘Live! Presidents’ Day’ event, contest for students to win cash prizes
What’s a more authentic place to be on Presidents’ Day than at the home of Indiana’s only U.S. president, the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site?
On Monday, February 21, the Presidential Site is hosting “Live! Presidents’ Day” from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. It’s located at 1230 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis, IN.
Whitney Ball, events and marketing manager for the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, joined us today to share more about what you can expect from this event and other events at the site this month.
There, live enactors engage with guests as if it were 1891 and the Harrisons are home from the White House for a brief trip. Guests will tour through the 23rd President’s beautiful 1874 Italianate Victorian home furnished with an array of gilded age finery while engaging with reenactors. Visit the President in his library, say hello to the butler in the back parlor, see what the cooks are making in the kitchen and speak with Mrs. Harrison in the dining room. This interactive experience is included in the price of admission.
Visitors can also explore the new exhibit, No Compact of Silence, which highlights Black Civil Rights Advocates in the Harrison era.
There’s also a fun “Project POTUS” contest where students can compete to win up to $400.
To Submit:
1. Watch the Project POTUS video and read the mission briefs.
2. Research the president you’ve chosen, making sure to keep a list of your sources and find one or more primary sources that will be cited in your final video somehow. For research tips and suggestions for great history websites for presidential research, click HERE.
3. Create your video, using good history content and lots of creativity!
4. Review the contest rules for Project POTUS 2022 to make sure your video is eligible for awards.
5. Submit your project HERE, via the Project POTUS Judgify page.
6. Join the Project POTUS email list for updates, and check back for the contest results and the release of 46 in 45 in May 2022!
More details and info on prizes:
Press play on the U.S. Presidents. The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site has just announced the launch of Project POTUS, an opportunity for students in grades 6-8 across the nation to put their research, writing and video editing skills to the test.
Since the founding of our nation, there have been nearly half a billion American citizens. Of those, over 12,000 of us have served in Congress. Just 115 have become Supreme Court Justices. Only 46 citizens have become President of the United States. There’s something exceptional about each POTUS – good, bad, or otherwise. And the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site wants students’ help to tell the world why … in one minute or less.
Project POTUS calls on students to research an American President and create a one-minute video representing the president selected. Student videos are then submitted for review by a citizen jury, who will select a winning video project for each American president. The results from the inaugural Project POTUS initiative will be featured in the first ever ’46 Presidents in 45 Minutes,’ a compilation of students’ winning projects to be released following the closing of the contest in May 2022.
“The value of Project POTUS comes not only from the potential for it to be fun and original, but also from how closely it matches up to standards teachers use in the classroom,” said Molly Beausir, Russell and Penny Fortune Project POTUS Presidential Fellow with the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site. “The project emphasizes civics, history, research and communication skill building. And with the shift of project-based classroom learning to include virtual and hybrid options during the pandemic, the timing couldn’t be better to put those school laptops to good use.”
“It’s a fun and unique initiative for students, individually or in groups, to get creative and participate in a national video project with their peers,” said Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site President and CEO Charles Hyde. “The program is an interactive way for students across the country to share what they’ve learned about our country’s presidents firsthand, drawing from their knowledge of history, civics, and leadership. Ultimately, we’re excited to help facilitate peer-to-peer learning, which Project POTUS plans to do in a nationally significant way.”
It’s also an opportunity for students, caregivers and educators to take part in an educational project that could possibly win students and classrooms scholarships. For the inaugural Project POTUS in 2022, the citizen jury will award over $5,000 in prizes to students, with one grand prize winner for the best video overall winning a $400 award and a VIP prize package. There’s plenty of time to pick a president and work on the project – video submissions begin on Presidents’ Day, February 21, 2022 and will be accepted through Tax Day, April 15, 2022.
Have a video-savvy student or budding history buff in mind?
For more information, and for project guidelines, please visit projectpotus.org.
For more information on the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, visit bhpsite.org.