Seminar immerses teachers in history of Tri-Cities

PETERSBURG Kelly Waldrop could barely contain her excitement as she walked through historic Blandford Cemetery yesterday morning.

The second-year teacher at Mechanicsville Elementary School in Hanover County was playing the role of student as she excitedly made rubbings of headstones in the old graveyard.

Waldrop is among 14 central Virginia teachers immersing themselves in central Virginia history during a Community Teachers Institute seminar aimed at revealing historical resources available in the Tri-Cities to supplement students' education with hands-on, Standards of Learning-based experiences.

"We want to showcase for teachers the history underfoot, here in the Petersburg area," said Tracy Bradford, director of the institute. "There is so much stuff that they are not aware of."

As Waldrop said, "It's like Christmas every day."

The four-day institute, which attracted teachers from Sussex County to Hanover, is funded by a grant from the John Randolph Foundation. Each teacher receives a $300 stipend.

It's been a whirlwind week for the educators, visiting various Tri-Cities' attractions from the Quartermaster Museum at Fort Lee to the Petersburg National Battlefield to the Weston Plantation in Hopewell.

But it hasn't been just a sightseeing trip for the teachers. They are required to keep a journal about what they're learning and how they can incorporate that into their lesson plans.

Prior to the brief tour of Blandford Cemetery and the 274-year-old Blandford Church, each of the teachers was given a homework assignment: develop a biography of a person buried in the cemetery based on a picture.

As the group meandered through the gravesites, the background of the people was revealed.

"This has been extraordinary," said Paul Penrod, a social studies, language arts and special-education teacher at J.E.J. Moore Middle School in Prince George. "Not only are they taking us on these wonderful tours, but they are helping us develop curriculum and giving us resources to use."

The experience sets up the historical sites as field-trip destinations during the school year. Last year, about 10,000 students visited the Quartermaster Museum and the U.S. Army Women's Museum at Fort Lee, both of which are free.

Nearly 7,000 students visited the Petersburg National Battlefield, site of the longest siege in American warfare, where admission is also free.

By giving students that hands-on experience, they gain a lifelong interest in history, said Grant Gates, park ranger at the battlefield.

"Parks service is very big about getting people out to that resource, stand where these things took place, where issues of honor and sacrifice took place, and immerse students in the resource," he said.

Waldrop and Penrod have plans for returning to the Tri-Cities sites with their students. Waldrop, who is about two weeks removed from the end of one school year, is already looking forward to the upcoming school year.

"I can't wait to take back what I've learned and share with my students," said Waldrop, a fourth-grade teacher. "I never thought I would be so motivated for next year in June."

Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or .