For Immediate Release
May 10, 2007
Media Contact:
Emily Coleman Dibella
(703) 799-8607
(202) 365-9002 (cell)
edibella@mountvernon.org
Mount Vernon, VA -- Washington, D.C.-area teachers are invited to attend the ninth annual George Washington Teachers’ Institute at Mount Vernon, July 9-10. The free program, funded for teachers by a local donor, provides an intensive study of George Washington, his key generals and first presidential cabinet through discussions led by prominent authors, professors, and Washington scholars. The two-day program concludes with the presentation of the first annual Mount Vernon History Teacher of the Year award, which will be given to a Washington, D.C.-area history teacher. The award includes $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid field trip to Mount Vernon for the winning teacher’s students.
During the Institute, teachers will have access to the newly opened Phoebe Apperson Hearst Learning Center, featuring lesson plans, bibliographies, biographies, general histories, and educational CD-ROMs and DVDs. Teacher Created Materials (TCM) will provide participating teachers with free lesson materials.
Space for this fully-funded program is limited. For information, please call the Mount Vernon Education Department at 703-799-8604.
About the Mount Vernon History Teacher of the Year Award
The Mount Vernon History Teacher of the Year award, supported by an endowment established by the Robertson Foundation, honors excellence in history education. Any teacher in the Washington, D.C., area who teaches American History in grades 3-12, and who has at least two years of teaching experience, is eligible. The winning teacher receives $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid field trip to Mount Vernon for his or her students. The Robertson Foundation is a private foundation established in 1996 by Tiger Management founder Julian H. Robertson, Jr., his wife Josie, and their family.
About the Phoebe Apperson Hearst Learning Center
Mount Vernon’s new Phoebe Apperson Hearst Learning Center, located in the Donald W. Reynolds Education Center, features lesson plans, bibliographies, biographies and general histories, as well as educational CD-ROMs and DVDs. Additionally, the Center’s four computer bays provide direct connection to the expanded “scholars’ version” of the newly digitized Papers of George Washington, enabling teachers to explore thousands of original Washington documents.
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Events, programs, and activities are subject to change.
Public Information: 703-780-2000; 703-799-8697 (TDD); www.mountvernon.org
Since 1860, over 80 million visitors have made George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens the most popular historic home in America. Through thought-provoking tours, entertaining events, and stimulating educational programs on the Estate and in classrooms across the nation, Mount Vernon strives to preserve George Washington’s place in history as “First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen.” Mount Vernon is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, America’s oldest national preservation organization, founded in 1853. A picturesque drive to the southern end of the scenic George Washington Memorial Parkway, Mount Vernon is located just 16 miles from the nation’s capital.
Hours of operation: April-August, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; March, September, October, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; November – February, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Regular admission rates: adults, $13.00; senior citizens, $12.00; children age 6-11, when accompanied by an adult, $6.00; and children under age 5, FREE. Admission fees, restaurant and retail proceeds, along with private donations, support the operation and restoration of Mount Vernon.
