2004 National Awards Ceremony

On January 15, 2004, at a Preserve America Event hosted by First Lady Mrs. Laura Bush, THE HISTORY CHANNEL announced the launch of the Save Our History working with Preserve America initiative in the East Room of The White House.Thanks to the efforts of participating history teachers, students, and preservation organizations from across the country, the inaugural year of the Save Our History program was a tremendous success. 55,000 students used the Save Our History Educational Manual, and hundreds of classes partnered with local preservation organizations on a historic preservation project in their community. The projects were documented and submitted to THE HISTORY CHANNEL, where judges awarded Save Our History Classroom Awards to students and teachers from fifteen schools. Each winning classroom received a $1,000 cash prize and a 3-day, all expenses paid trip to Washington, DC, where they were treated to a historic boat cruise on the Potomac River, behind the scenes workshops and tours of the Smithsonian Museums, and a gala National Awards Ceremony at the National Postal Museum. At this event, US Secretary of Education Rod Paige, US Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman and US Secretary of Interior Gale Norton were presented with Save Our History Distinguished Leadership Awards.