July 8, 2015

Video Created for National History Day

A group of young students at Ottoson Middle School in Massachusetts entered the National History Day competition with a short documentary about the life of Winston Churchill. The students interviewed scholars, researched photographs, and read up on the facts of Churchill’s life to put together their video, which qualified as a finalist in the competition.

As part of their research, the students interviewed Alison Frank Johnson of Harvard University and Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives Centre. These and other interviews are included in the documentary as are clips of Churchill’s speeches. The primary narration is performed by one of the students. Overall, the documentary is another example of how active memory can be transitioned into active history so that future generations will understand the importance of Winston Churchill and his legacy.