Inkandescent Kids

August242015

Cathy Gorn Brings National History Day to Life for 60,000+ Students

Grateful American™ Radio Show
Grateful American™ Radio Show
Cathy Gorn Brings National History Day to Life for 60,000+ Students
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When the 2015 awards were presented for the 41st annual National History Day Contest on June 15, Cathy Gorn was grinning from ear to ear. “These are my kids,” says the woman who has been at the helm of the international organization for decades.

Indeed, more than 600,000 students from around the world competed in five categories: documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances, and websites.

Why did nearly 3,000 middle and high school students present their work related to the 2015 theme, Leadership and Legacy in History? What inspires a passion in history in the contestants from 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and international schools in Central America, China, Korea, and South Asia?

That’s what we’re here today to find out from National History Day’s Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn.

In this podcast interview Grateful American™ Foundation founder David Bruce Smith and executive producer Hope Katz Gibbs ask Gorn:

  • What is the genesis of National History Day, and how did you come to be involved?
  • How do you get hundreds of thousands of kids all over the world to spend an entire year preparing National History Day? What keeps them coming back year after year?
  • The judges must find it challenging to choose a winner. How does the judging actually work, and who are some of the judges who spend days each year working on this project with you?
  • Numerous awards are granted to both students and teachers including junior documentary, exhibit, paper, performance and website categories.
  • There are also entries in the senior documentary categories, which receive a $5,000 award from HISTORY®. Tell us about some of the other monetary awards you give out annually.
  • The “Outstanding Affiliate Entry” award is sponsored by the National Park Service. How did you come to work with this organization?
  • You also work closely with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. In fact, there’s a Night at the Museum exhibit there during the week-long event. Tell us more about that.
  • How can even more students get involved with National History Day?

Download the podcast now!

About the show: From the mouths of kids come the most profound thoughts and ideas. On the Inkandescent® Kids Show, we take it one step further with interviews by kids, for kids. Yes, there are a few adults involved, too, including experts on parenting, education, and more!

Read all about it: Launched on August 8, 2025, InkandescentKids.com magazine is on a mission to teach kids from kindergarten to college to think critically, like a reporter. Students are welcome to submit articles, photos, illustrations, videos, puzzles, games, and more for review and publication.

We also offer classes: 

  • Journalism (3 sessions): I am an award-winning reporter and teach the journalism classes. In Class 1, the assignment is to be part of our “So You Want to be a …” book project, in which they interview a parent about their work. They learn how to do research, develop interview questions, and practice asking the questions; then they write the article, and we work on it together until it’s ready for our student editors to copyedit and publish it.
  • Photojournalism (2 sessions): Our Inkandescent photographer, AnnaGibbs.com, guides students through the process of taking photos for the articles. She teaches them the essentials of taking a good photograph, how to capture the essence of the story they are working on, and, once she approves the images, we send them to our editorial team for inclusion in the article.
  • Illustration (4 sessions): Award-winning illustrator michaelglenwood.com works with students to create artwork to accompany the articles. He teaches them to identify the main concepts in the article they are working on, create 3 sketches for editor review, and then craft the illustration. Upon his review and approval, it goes to the editorial team.
  • Videos and podcasts (4 sessions): With me, Inkandescent’s video and podcast producer, Nelson Benavides, teaches students how to capture the essence of an interview through video and podcasting. He focuses on helping students understand the technical aspects of production.
  • Newsroom (6 sessions): Our InkandescentKids editor, Ellen Smith, is building our student newsrooms that include a team of editors, copyeditors, proofreaders, and a layout team. In addition to our online magazine, they help us craft a bi-monthly printable publication that features a theme. This September-October theme is New Beginnings.

Click here for pricing and payment options, and learn how to join our InkandescentKids family!

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MEET THE INKANDESCENT® RADIO TEAM

Hope Katz Gibbs, Founder & Executive Producer, InkandescentRadio.com

Brandi Wilsker-Merritt, Director of Podcasting

Nelson Benavides, Director of Videography

Max Kukoy, Inkandescent Website Developer

Michael Gibbs, Inkandescent Art Director

 

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