The White House Historical Association and The Washington Nationals Expand White House At Bat! Educational Challenge

Nov 02, 2015 Washington, D.C. —

Today the White House Historical Association in partnership with the Washington Nationals announced the new, expanded details of the educational outreach program focused on White House and presidential history.

Together the two organizations developed a program this August, “White House at Bat: A Presidential History Challenge” which is now available to all high school students 9th through 12th grade in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The program examines the Constitutional powers of a president, focuses on decision-making in the White House, and considers how executive decisions throughout history were influenced by and impacted the diverse constituencies that make up the American citizenry.

The education program will feature a short-film competition, which will yield five videos that will be professionally filmed and edited for broadcast during a game at Nationals Park. Teachers and students will be provided with online background information on each of the Racing Presidents’ administrations, including significant accomplishments, period images of the White House, and access to primary documents related to the Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Taft presidencies.

The winners will be invited to an award reception at the White House Historical Association on Lafayette Square, together with their families, teachers, and school principals. A $1,000 grand prize will be awarded to each of the five winning submissions.

“This program is at the heart of our partnership with the Washington Nationals. Expanding our educational reach through collaborations is an important way we fulfill our mission to educate the public about White House history,” said Stewart D. McLaurin, White House Historical Association President. “We believe this program will enrich high school students’ understanding of the important role the White House and the president play in shaping American history through an interactive and rewarding experience.”

The student teams will use information sourced from primary documents as the basis for the video production. Full program details are available at WhiteHouseHistory.org/Nationals

“For years our Racing Presidents have made presidential history fun and accessible,” said Washington Nationals Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer Valerie Camillo. “This season our partnership with the White House Historical Association has moved the excitement into the stands with the White House History Challenge. Now area schools are joining the fun. We look forward to giving students the exciting experience of having their work featured at the ballpark as part of the video challenge.”

Submission deadline and new details:

The new submission deadline is February 25, 2016 and it must be emailed or postmarked by this date to be eligible. Judging will take place March-April of 2016 and participants will be notified of the results by Friday, April 15, 2016. The award reception, filming and editing will take place April-May of 2016 and school assemblies and the broadcast at Nationals Park will be held May-June of 2016.